Matt Navarra
Social media analyst/consultant; covers platform features, policy shifts, and implications for creators and media.
Threads Adds Shareable View‑count Card for Profiles
You can now create a shareable views count card on Threads 🆕 And choose to display your view count on your public profile Here’s my view count for the past 30 days
X Pushes Explicit Content to 13‑year‑olds, Report Finds
Explicit content consistently recommended to 13-year-olds on X, report finds A new report found X is recommending explicit content to users posing as 13-year-olds. 80% of sexual searches returned graphic results, often within the top results. Teen feeds shifted fast, with 30.5% of...
ByteDance Releases Seedance 2.0 Globally, Bans US and Realistic Faces
ByteDance Launches Seedance 2.0 AI Video Model Globally, Excluding the U.S. The rollout follows copyright clashes with Disney, Netflix, and other major Hollywood studios. New restrictions block prompts using realistic human faces to avoid legal risks. The model is now available to enterprise...
Snap CEO’s Insane Workweek Fuels Family‑first, Screen‑time Warning
Snap's Evan Spiegel says his work schedule is 'completely insane' Snap CEO Evan Spiegel describes his schedule as “completely insane” while leading an $8bn company The 35-year-old works “7 days a week” while raising 4 children with Miranda Kerr He still protects Sundays...
Roblox Defends New Age Checks Amid Misclassification Worries
Roblox defends expanded age‑checks after parents raise concerns over errors Roblox is defending expanded age checks after parents warned kids are misclassified as adults. The system uses facial analysis and claims ~1.4-year accuracy for under-18s. Mistakes could weaken safeguards and expose children to...
AI Replaces Human Clip Teams in Influencer Growth
Top Influencers’ Secret Weapon for Engagement Might Be Replaced by AI Influencers rely on armies of clippers to flood feeds with viral short videos Creators spend big: with up to $50K monthly campaign spend, and millions paid via platforms like Whop But now,...
YouTube Denies Existence of 90‑second Unskippable Ads
YouTube says it does not have 90-second unskippable ads despite user reports YouTube denies its running 90-second unskippable ads despite widespread user reports Users have shared screenshots showing “skip in 90+ seconds” prompts on TV YouTube says the feature isn’t live or in...
UK Public Posting Slumps to Half Amid Fatigue
Is the UK falling out of love with social media? According to Ofcom, Only 49% of UK adults now post publicly on social platforms, down from 61% in 2024 Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are driving passive, video-first consumption Rising fears about past...
Russia's VPN Crackdown Triggers Nationwide Bank Outage
Russia’s VPN Crackdown Caused Bank Outage, Telegram Founder Says Telegram founder Pavel Durov says filters overloaded critical systems Millions rely on VPNs as Telegram ban fails to stick Disruption briefly forced Russians to rely on cash payments nationwide
HarperCollins Turns Books Into AI Shorts, Pays Authors
HarperCollins is turning authors’ books into AI YouTube Shorts HarperCollins has partnered with Toonstar to turn books into AI YouTube Shorts The launch starts with Lisa Greenwald’s Friendship List series Episodes run 2–10 minutes, targeting young YouTube audiences Toonstar’s CEO says “creator-led,” with authors...
Meta's Superintelligence Labs Assembles Hardware Team for New AI Devices
Meta Superintelligence Labs is quietly building a hardware team Veteran engineer Rui Xu, with experience at ByteDance, Xiaomi, and Dreamer, will lead the team It hints that Meta's Superintelligence Labs is exploring new AI device types beyond smart glasses. MSL chief Alexandr Wang...
Musk Leverages SpaceX Funding to Revive X Advertising
Elon Musk pressures potential SpaceX investors to use Grok and advertise on X Major firms like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs reportedly investing millions SpaceX IPO targets $1–2 trillion+ valuation, one of the largest ever The move is seen as attempt to boost X...
EU Deadlock Halts Child‑Abuse Scanning Rules, Tech Firms Continue Voluntarily
Meta, Google, Snap Blast EU Deadlock Over Child Protection Rules Lapse The EU failed to renew CSAM scanning rules before Apr 3, leaving platforms in legal limbo Major tech firms have warned the lapse could let child abuse material spread undetected Google, Meta,...
TikTok Deploys AI Detection to Guard Music Rights
TikTok Tackles AI Music Clones With Advanced Audio Detection Tech TikTok has integrated ACRCloud’s detection tech into SoundOn to spot copied music “Derivative Works Detection” flags altered tracks, including pitch and speed changes The system helps artists track misuse, secure credit, and protect...
Australia Data Reveals Age Checks Failing on Social Media
Australia Data Exposes Weakness in Social Media Age Restrictions Current age verification systems are too weak to enforce teen social media restrictions effectively. Australia’s data shows 70% of under-16s still active, with no drop in online harm. Platforms define their own compliance, creating...