‘Americans are democracy’s equivalent of second-generation wealth’: a Chinese journalist on the US under Trump

The long read: Once a stalwart of Hong Kong’s journalism scene, Wang Jian has found a new audience on YouTube, dissecting global politics and US-China relations since the pandemic. To his fans, he’s part professor, part friend

Google won’t reveal if it is lobbying Trump about YouTube’s inclusion in Australia’s under-16s ban

Company tells Senate inquiry ban will be ‘extremely difficult to enforce’, will have ‘unintended consequences’ and won’t make children safer

The fledgling UN tried to rein in mass-scale misinformation. The world turned its back and is now paying the price

The ruinous result of the US approach to freedom of information and media has made anti-democratic contagion impossible to ignore

BBC airing false claim about Euan Blair blamed on young producers ‘marinated in social media’

Broadcaster apologised after Have I Got News For You falsely said former PM’s son had won digital ID contract

Torture, blackmail, extortion: the dangers of queer online dating in Ghana

Homophobic attacks on LGBTQ+ community rising as criminals, using social media to lure victims, are emboldened by political debate

Jennifer Aniston says social media ‘has taken down a huge portion of humanity’

The actor condemns ‘runaway train’ of unregulated slander, baseless claims and deepfakes that have dogged her in recent years

The EU has a secret weapon to counter Trump’s economic bullying. It’s time to use it

The anti-coercion instrument, or ‘trade bazooka’, is designed to shield against foreign pressure, says civil liberties campaigner Johnny Ryan

4chan unlikely to be included in Australia’s under-16s social media ban, eSafety commissioner says

Julie Inman Grant says message board will need to comply with other codes which will also include age assurance for sites hosting violent and adult content

‘It made my day more meaningful’: the Japanese gen Zers attempting a two-hour limit on smartphone use

Authorities in Japan are taking action against excessive phone time – but what is it like to restrict scrolling to 120 minutes a day?

In the age of false information, we all need a good BS detector. Here’s how to sort facts from harmful fiction

Our brains are wired to believe new information, especially if it aligns with our views. But mistruths can have serious consequences

Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s as PM warns phones ‘stealing childhood’

Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration

The Partiful app is a ‘vibey’ nightmare. Here’s my party-invitation solution

This year was the year of Partiful, a purple mess that won’t even let me be passive-aggressive without chastising me

The one change that worked: I was lost in the infinite scroll – until a small ritual renewed my love of reading

My ability to concentrate diminished as I spent more time on my phone. So I started to log and learn every new word I came across, and felt my brain begin to flex

TikTok ‘directs child accounts to pornographic content within a few clicks’

Despite platform’s limits on adult content, study finds it not only accessible but often suggested

Golden retriever boyfriends and ick lists: gen Z’s dating rules are making them ‘constantly disappointed’

A steady stream of viral terms and online guidance is leading young people to reduce prospective partners to checklists