Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accuses Roblox of knowingly facilitating a virtual environment that makes it easy for sexual predators to prey on, groom, and abuse children, while marketing the platform in Florida to children as a fun and safe place to play and interact.
An 11-year-old boy faces charges after the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the child made online threats against his middle school.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order declaring that a proposed deal allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States will be a qualified sale that meets national security concerns laid out by the law.
Despite years of congressional hearings, academic research, whistleblowers and testimony from parents and teenagers about the harms of Instagram, Meta’s wildly popular app has failed to protect children with its “woefully ineffective” safety measures, according to a new report from former employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups.
The world's most popular TikTok personality has left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas.
A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out.
School districts across Central Florida are warning parents about a dangerous new TikTok challenge that encourages students to intentionally damage their district-issued Chromebooks.
Attorneys for the state acknowledged Tuesday that a 2021 Florida law that placed restrictions on social-media platforms posed “First Amendment problems” but urged a federal judge to reject a legal challenge that wound its way to the U.S. Supreme Court before being sent back to district court.
Despite support from many parents and state leaders, a parental control bill failed to make it through the House this week.
Hours after a series of outages that left X unavailable to thousands of users, Elon Musk is claiming that the social media platform is being targeted in a “massive cyberattack."
Florida’s attorney general says his office has opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania.
Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, have returned to the U.S. after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers.
Consumer banking company Chase will not allow its users to send Zelle payments from contacts originating from social media in order to protect users from scams, it said in an email.
A 14-year-old Palm Coast girl faces serious charges after deputies said she posted a “disturbing“ video on Snapchat that threatened students at her former school, according to a news release.
Shortly before the Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok to shut down, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling that allowed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to take effect. Here's what could happen to more apps going forward.
Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn’t totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it.
As the potential TikTok ban approaches, small business owners like hair stylist Emily Velasco are preparing for a significant shift. After a viral video catapulted her salon's success, she now faces uncertainty with nearly half of her clients coming from TikTok. Here's where they're headed next.
Known as the "Online Protections for Minors" act, the legislation is part of a broader effort to address concerns about children’s mental health and online safety.
A report released Monday by Pew Research Center says about one in five Americans regularly get their news from so-called news influencers on social media.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association announced that they have filed a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of Florida’s HB3, the law that bans children under 14 from having social media accounts.
Facing potential First Amendment challenges, Florida has proposed details about how it will carry out a new law aimed at keeping children off social-media platforms and blocking minors from accessing online pornography.
The Supreme Court is keeping a hold on efforts in Texas and Florida to limit how Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and other social media platforms regulate content posted by their users.
Today's students are more tech savvy than ever, but with those skills also come some challenges they may not be developmentally ready for, like the risks involved with using social media.
The 2024 SHIELD Act, designed to protect every American’s reputation on the internet and social media platforms, could become part of the comprehensive privacy bill as early as July.
Florida Congressman Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, presented “updated talking points” to the Innovation, Data and Commerce Subcommittee on Capitol Hill Thursday that brings the proposed SHIELD Act closer to a full congressional vote.
Florida Congressman Darren Soto, D-Kissmmee, presented legislation to a subcommittee on Capitol Hill Wednesday that would penalize identity imposters and provide “legal remedies " for anyone whose identities are “used online without their consent.”
Eight TikTok content creators have sued the U.S. over the new federal law that would could ban the social media platform nationwide.
When Jo and Jerry Hatley‘s dog passed away, they wanted to fill the void with a new puppy. As luck would have it, the couple found two puppies offered on Facebook, yet the ensuing 4-hour drive to pick them up would only end in heartbreak.
The challenge to protect reputations from imposters on the internet and social media platforms has prompted a call to revamp the 1996 Communications Decency Act.
A 5-year student at the University of Central Florida told News 6 his reputation was ruined after racial slurs linked to his name went viral reaching “about 1 million people.”
An Orlando woman says she lost hundreds of dollars when she clicked a link she got on Facebook messenger, and her friend did too, she says.
A new version of the measure to force children off social media passed the Florida Senate Monday, setting up a final vote in the Florida House before the end of the legislative session this week.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed what would have been one of the most far-reaching social media bans for minors.
With a Friday deadline looming, House Speaker Paul Renner said Wednesday that he and Gov. Ron DeSantis are trying to work out differences on a bill aimed at keeping children under age 16 off social-media platforms.
A Central Florida school district is suing several social media companies, accusing them of creating a mental health crisis in children that the district now has to spend money to handle.
A Florida Senate panel on Thursday revamped a bill aimed at keeping children under age 16 off social media, as a debate continued about the proposal’s constitutionality and whether it would infringe on parental rights.
Jack Sweeney, the University of Central Florida student tracking Taylor Swift’s jet and the plans of other celebrities, released a statement after the uber-popular pop star threatened legal action against him.
Facebook and Instagram users will start seeing made-by-AI labels on deepfake images that appear on their social media feeds, part of a broader tech industry initiative to sort between what’s real and not.
Sexual predators. Addictive features. Self-harm and eating disorders. Unrealistic beauty standards. Bullying. These are just some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media — and children’s advocates and lawmakers say companies are not doing enough to protect them.
A bill banning social media for Florida children under 16 will be heard in the Florida Senate, according to the chamber’s president.
More than 100 passionate speakers who live east of UCF near Lake Pickett implored commissioners to vote down the project.
A bill that would restrict Florida teens from using social media appeared headed for passage in the Florida House after a second reading of the bill on Tuesday.
The Florida House is poised to pass a bill aimed at preventing children under age 16 from using social media, as parts of the tech industry argue the measure could be unconstitutional and create data privacy concerns.
An Orlando-area congressman is taking action after a student at the University of Central Florida told News 6 his reputation was ruined after racial slurs linked to his name went viral, reaching “about 1 million people.”
A 5-year student at the University of Central Florida told News 6 his reputation was ruined after racial slurs linked to his name went viral reaching “about 1 million people.”
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on social media and youth mental health, noting that social media can pose risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children.
I’m very much aware that I have no control over the decisions social media apps and organizations make, but it would have been nice to know that a strange little AI bot was going to show up as a Snapchat friend.
Saying that social media does “more harm than good,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed education changes that include prohibiting students from using cell phones during class time and curtailing use of the social-media platform TikTok on school grounds.
The Oviedo Police Department is warning residents about an increase in fake Instagram accounts blackmailing users in ‘sextortion’ attempts.
The company behind the popular social media app Snapchat announced the addition of a customizable My AI chatbot on Wednesday, according to CNN.
A Central Florida middle school teacher suspended earlier this year, accused by his school district of using students as ‘political props’ in TikTok skits referencing current events, will not be fired after all.
The public school district in Seattle is suing the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth.
Florida Sen. Danny Burgess, R-District 23, filed a bill that would require teachers in public schools to provide instruction on social media safety.
A bill unveiled by Sen. Marco Rubio Tuesday targets Tiktok as it moves to restrict social media companies with ties to China and other foreign countries of concern.
News 6 anchor Matt Austin appeared on the popular Orlando radio show "The Monsters in the Morning" on Wednesday to discuss his viral video in defense of his daughters that has grabbed headlines from across the world.
Monday, News 6 anchor Matt Austin appeared on Inside Edition to discuss his viral video in defense of his daughters that has grabbed headlines from across the U.S. and overseas.
News 6's Matt Austin tells the stories of Central Floridians and is rarely the focus of news coverage, but his recent online defense of his daughters has grabbed headlines from across the U.S. and even overseas.
As a public figure, anchor Matt Austin is used to being in the limelight and potentially exposing himself to criticism, ranging from commentary on his delivery of the news to his haircut.
A Polk County woman has joined a national class action lawsuit against Hyundai Motor America and Kia America Inc. alleging “blatant breach of public trust” led to a surge in thefts of certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold without an engine immobilizer.
Social media model Courtney Clenney has been arrested in Hawaii on a charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
This week on Florida’s Fourth Estate, Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin are speaking with two of Florida’s best known influencers when it comes to viral videos. They each have millions of followers on TikTok alone. Each one has their unique style and brand that their followers cannot get enough of, and they have managed to turned a hobby into big business.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is one step closer to taking the wheel at Twitter after Twitter’s board of directors said the Musk deal is the best one for shareholders.
In an unusual move for what’s been an unusual takeover bid for Twitter by the world’s richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed the social platform’s employees Thursday, even though his $44 billion offer has not yet been completed.
Alessandro Cinquini — the handsome Miami cruise line manager committed to expose imposters using his photographs in social media catfish schemes — told News 6 that Facebook dropped his account while allowing fake accounts to continue.
You have to meet Jonathan and Ben Carlin, if you’re not familiar with them already.
Detectives arrested an 18-year-old Florida man after receiving a tip that he threatened a mass shooting at a school in a social media post.
Elon Musk on Wednesday revised the financing plan for his proposed $44 billion purchase of Twitter, raising investor hopes that the unpredictable billionaire still intends to pull off a deal roiled by market turbulence and Musk's own unpredictable fixation with the number of fake accounts on Twitter.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his deal to buy Twitter can’t “move forward” unless the company shows public proof that less than 5% of the accounts on the platform are fake or spam.
On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would reverse Twitter’s ban of former President Donald Trump, who was booted in January 2021 for inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol, should he succeed in acquiring the social platform for $44 billion.
