Social Media 27 September 2025 - 31 January 2026

Discord Down Today: API Errors Hit Logins and Messages as Users Report Outage
···

Discord Down Today: API Errors Hit Logins and Messages as Users Report Outage

Discord on Friday acknowledged a spike in API errors disrupting user sessions, logins, and messaging, with some left unable to connect. The company’s status page kept the incident marked as unresolved, noting the disruption was affecting portions of the service. This disruption isn’t limited to gamers using voice chat. Discord serves as the real-time communications backbone for communities, where servers, DMs, bots, and voice channels help people coordinate all day long. If the API goes down, the app still opens, but critical functions just stop working.
May 8, 2026
India could ban social media for under-16s as Modi ally targets Meta and YouTube
··

India could ban social media for under-16s as Modi ally targets Meta and YouTube

Lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu, a close ally of Prime Minister Modi, has introduced a bill aiming to ban social media accounts for anyone under 16 in India. This could deal a significant blow to giants like Meta and YouTube in what’s their largest market. The timing isn’t random. India’s internet user base hits around a billion, yet there’s no national minimum age for social media use. Politicians are feeling the heat to prove they’re serious about tackling online harms.
January 31, 2026
WhatsApp’s new “Strict Account Settings” is a lockdown switch for high-risk users
···

WhatsApp’s new “Strict Account Settings” is a lockdown switch for high-risk users

On Tuesday, Meta’s WhatsApp announced the launch of “Strict Account Settings,” a new high-security feature aimed at protecting accounts from advanced hacking attacks. This mode blocks attachments and media from unknown contacts, turns off link previews, and mutes calls from anyone not in the user’s address book, the company explained. The new feature arrives as major tech companies introduce “lockdown”-style safeguards targeting a select group of high-risk users—journalists, dissidents, and public figures. The approach is straightforward: remove features that attackers exploit, even if it means sacrificing convenience.
January 27, 2026
France votes to ban under-15s from social media as Macron fast-tracks crackdown
···

France votes to ban under-15s from social media as Macron fast-tracks crackdown

Late Monday, France’s National Assembly gave the green light to a law banning social media use for kids under 15. The move targets online bullying and rising mental health concerns, according to lawmakers and officials. European governments are zeroing in on teen screen time and platform design, pushing for strict age limits over looser “parental controls.” In France, official alerts on self-harm content and family-reported cases tied to social media feeds have intensified the debate.
January 27, 2026
EU puts WhatsApp Channels under toughest Digital Services Act rules, giving Meta until May
···

EU puts WhatsApp Channels under toughest Digital Services Act rules, giving Meta until May

On Monday, the European Commission classified Meta’s WhatsApp “Channels” as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act, increasing the company’s responsibilities to address illegal and harmful content. WhatsApp’s Channels saw an average of 51.7 million monthly users in the EU during the first half of 2025, surpassing the 45 million user threshold set by the law, the Commission noted. Meta now has until mid-May to meet the new requirements. This matters because Channels is designed for one-to-many broadcasts, not private messaging, allowing it to rapidly deliver content to large EU audiences. Brussels has been ramping up enforcement of the DSA, a broad regulation aimed at making major online platforms identify and mitigate risks related to illegal content
January 26, 2026
Zuckerberg to testify as Meta, TikTok and YouTube face first youth addiction trial
······

Zuckerberg to testify as Meta, TikTok and YouTube face first youth addiction trial

This week, a U.S. jury will hear the first major trial accusing Meta Platforms, TikTok, and Google’s YouTube of designing their social media platforms to addict children and damage their mental health. This case arrives amid growing pressure from lawmakers, parents, and regulators demanding stricter limits on teens’ screen time, while companies battle to keep legal responsibility for online harms tightly restricted.
January 26, 2026
TikTok U.S. deal sealed with Oracle-led venture — here’s what changes for users
···

TikTok U.S. deal sealed with Oracle-led venture — here’s what changes for users

ByteDance has secured U.S. and Chinese sign-off for a deal to hand TikTok’s American business to a new majority-U.S.-owned venture backed by Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, Sky News reported on Friday. President Donald Trump praised the agreement on Truth Social, writing he was “so happy to have helped in saving TikTok!” The deal is meant to end a years-long tug-of-war over whether the app can keep operating in the United States, after Washington demanded a sale over national security concerns. A U.S. law passed in 2024 set a deadline for ByteDance to find a buyer or face a ban, and Trump later delayed enforcement while talks continued, the Guardian reported.
January 24, 2026
TikTok avoids U.S. ban with Oracle-led joint venture deal — here’s who owns what now
····

TikTok avoids U.S. ban with Oracle-led joint venture deal — here’s who owns what now

ByteDance announced it has sealed a deal to form a new joint venture, majority-owned by Americans, aimed at safeguarding TikTok’s U.S. user data and ensuring the app continues running in the States. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/tiktok-reaches-deal-new-us-joint-venture-avoid-american-ban-2026-01-23/ This shift is crucial because TikTok faced a stark choice under U.S. law: either sell a substantial portion of its U.S. operations to sever Chinese ownership or risk a total ban across the country. The app claims it connects with over 200 million Americans and serves millions of U.S. businesses for marketing and sales.
January 23, 2026
iPhone 4 TikTok comeback sparks buying rush — and fresh warnings over security risks
···

iPhone 4 TikTok comeback sparks buying rush — and fresh warnings over security risks

A 15-year-old iPhone is back in fashion, with the iPhone 4 resurfacing on TikTok as a lo-fi camera and driving a sharp jump in shopping interest, TechRadar reported on Thursday. https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/the-iphone-4-is-the-classic-camera-phone-that-retro-lovers-cant-get-enough-of-but-dont-skip-these-essential-security-tips Why it matters now: the trend is pushing people toward a device that has not received software and security updates in years, at a time when phones sit at the center of banking, messaging and account logins.
January 9, 2026
Boop AI Travel App Turns Social Tips into Bookable Trips: What’s New on 19 November 2025
··

Boop AI Travel App Turns Social Tips into Bookable Trips: What’s New on 19 November 2025

Boop, a new AI travel app that quietly launched this week, is suddenly everywhere. In the last 24 hours it’s been highlighted by TechCrunch, picked up by outlets like FindArticles, Mezha, and regional tech round‑ups, and amplified by news aggregators and social feeds from X to YouTube. X+4TechCrunch+4FindArticles+4 At the center of all the noise is a simple but powerful promise:
November 19, 2025
Mobile Mayhem: Apple’s iPhone Air, Samsung’s Tri-Fold Leak, TikTok’s Shakeup & More
···

Mobile Mayhem: Apple’s iPhone Air, Samsung’s Tri-Fold Leak, TikTok’s Shakeup & More

Key Facts: Apple continued rolling out its newest iPhones worldwide. On Sept 26 the company re-opened its iconic Apple Ginza store in Tokyo, just in time to sell the latest iPhone 17, 17 Pro/Max and the new ultra-thin iPhone Air models apple.com. In a press statement Apple’s Kaiann Drance hailed the iPhone 17 as “a big upgrade with powerful features”, and the “best front camera yet” apple.com. In tandem, Apple released iOS 26 to customers, adding new “Apple Intelligence” features. However, MacRumors reports a glitch: some iPhone 17 users found certain AI tools failing to download. Apple support is reportedly aware of the issue and working on a fix macrumors.com macrumors.com. Overall, Apple’s ecosystem news was upbeat: analysts note strong
September 27, 2025
1 2