Digital Content

Among the 27% of U.S. adults who use AI systems for social, emotional and personal purposes, a third consider their AI as a friend. Many have other striking views:

• 59% Agreed that “AI gives me the support I need”
• 53% Agreed that they “turn to AI for advice on how to handle difficult situations with other people”
• 50% Agreed that they use AI to “talk through personal problems or feelings”

Just over half of U.S. adults say they spend too much time on their smartphone. About a third of adults say their smartphone use is about right, while just 3% say they spend too little time using these devices. Younger adults stand out for describing their smartphone use as excessive. Seven-in-ten adults under 30 say they spend too much time on it, as do about two-thirds of those ages 30 to 49.

Long the epicenter of the global tech industry, California is taking more action to shield its children, communities and workers from the threats posed by the very industry that’s become central to the state’s identity and enviable economy. State lawmakers passed new safeguards around social media, artificial intelligence and data centers at a time when technology has become intertwined with people’s daily lives.

Internal documents show Meta knew for years that its youngest users were the most likely to be targeted by bullies, extortionists and sexual predators. Yet the company excluded the majority of those harms from its public reports, designing its metrics so that many of the worst encounters were never captured. The case was a big wake-up call for families, who may not yet know the extent of the horrors children have faced on the apps. Angst over Meta’s public reputation likely played a role in the decision to settle so early, experts said.

How to apply the Federal Records Act (FRA) to existing Artificial Intelligence (AI) uses, with a focus on the use of AI platforms. Agencies’ use of AI platforms does not, in and of itself, result in the creation of federal records. Subsequent use of AI-generated materials in agency business may result in the creation of federal records. This memorandum explains the factors agencies should consider when making these determinations.

Meta is intensifying its public pressure campaign on TikTok and YouTube, running full-page advertisements in top newspapers across the US demanding its

The up to $17.1 billion that Meta agreed to pay to 47 states, the District of Columbia and some U.S. territories to settle a three-year-old lawsuit probably won’t sting that much for Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive. The details of the settlement, however, could leave a mark.

On August 27, 2026, the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education filed an amicus brief in the case of Patterson v. Meta. CDT filed this brief to bring to the court’s attention the broader impacts on free expression that weakening Section 230 will have on speech that is constitutionally protected but controversial.

Meta Platforms agreed to an $18 billion settlement with 48 state attorneys general, bringing an end to a massive federal trial over social media’s harm to teenagers and ushering in a new era of tech companies having legal responsibility for their platforms.

The Federal Trade Commission, joined by five states, notified a court that the agency will file a stipulated order that resolves its litigation against Zillow and Redfin and restores competition in the online platforms that renters use to find apartments and property managers use to list rentals. The order eliminates the key term in a 2025 agreement betwee