TikTok to alert parents when teens post public videos, AI researcher turns down ‘$1bn offer’ from Meta

TikTok will now alert parents when their teenager posts a public video, as part of new safety tools launched this week. Just days after the UK introduced sweeping new internet safety rules, the social media company released more protections for young users. One new feature alerts parents, via the platform’s ‘family pairing’ setting, when their teen makes a public post. Parents can also receive notifications when their child reports a video, although they won’t be able to view the reported content. Sky News 

Five million extra online age checks a day are being carried out in the UK since the introduction of age-gating for pornography sites, according to new data. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) said there had been a sharp increase in additional age checks in the UK since Friday, when age verification became mandatory for accessing pornography under the Online Safety Act. “As a result of new codes under the Online Safety Act coming into force on Friday, we have seen an additional 5m age checks on a daily basis,” said Iain Corby, the executive director of the AVPA. The Guardian 

A tech worker has reportedly turned down a $1bn (£750m) pay deal to join Mark Zuckerberg’s artificial intelligence (AI) unit amid an escalating war for talent in Silicon Valley. Mr Zuckerberg’s Meta reportedly offered several researchers who work at Thinking Machines, a San Francisco-based AI start-up, packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars to join the social media giant. One of those packages would have been worth as much as $1bn over several years, according to a report from Wired. Telegraph

TikTok has removed a video by businesswoman and beauty influencer Huda Kattan in which she promoted conspiracy theories about Israel. The Iraqi-American entrepreneur, who is founder and CEO of the popular Huda Beauty brand, said in a video posted on Sunday that Israel was responsible for “every world war” including World War One and World War Two, as well as the September 11 and 7 October attacks. The American Jewish Committee said she was “using her massive platform to spread vile antisemitic conspiracy theories”. BBC 

Freely is expanding its streaming offerings wit a “simple and affordable” puck that gives you access to live and on-demand TV on televisions that do not have the platform built-in. The free streaming platform gives you access to a range of different streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and PBS America. It was launched on a variety of next-generation smart TVs in April last year, providing access to over 40 channels without the need for an aerial dish or wires. That includes models from the likes of Hisense, Panasonic, and TCL. WhatHiFi

Google’s NotebookLM is getting a new Video Overviews feature that uses AI to create slideshows with narration. The feature is rolling out now in English, and Google says that support for “more languages” is coming soon. “You can think of these as a visual alternative to Audio Overviews: the AI host creates new visuals to help illustrate points while also pulling in images, diagrams, quotes and numbers from your documents,” according to a blog post. The Verge