Instagram Ready To Do The Bare Minimum to Protect Teen Health

Facebook and Instagram have been making headlines ever since the company came under fire for knowing exactly how its products harm teens. After leaked documents were released to The Wall Street Journal, the US Senate summoned Facebook for a hearing titled ‘Protecting Kids Online’, to understand exactly what can be done to counter the negative impacts of social media. Now, in a move that feels like the bare-minimum, Instagram has announced that it will introduce a feature that nudges teens away from harmful content, while prompting them to take a break. The company will call this feature, ‘Nudge’.

How will the Instagram Nudge work?

Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, told CNN "We're going to introduce something which I think will make a considerable difference, which is where our systems see that the teenager is looking at the same content over and over again and it's content which may not be conducive to their well-being, we will nudge them to look at other content." 

He also added, "we're introducing something called, 'take a break,' where we will be prompting teens to just simply just take a break from using Instagram." 

Is this the bare minimum?

Based on Clegg’s comments, one can surmise that this feature is currently in development, with developers identifying and designing parameters to help teens avoid harmful content. However, one could argue that the subjective nature of the term increases the scope for children to fall through the system’s cracks. Barring content with obvious red flags, it is unclear how developers will identify content that’s harming the psyche of a teen, especially when you consider that something as basic as looking at an advertisement online can also inspire eating disorders in those who are prone to them. 

The addictive nature of social media is pretty evident. As such, a simple prompt asking users to ‘take a break’ may be effective for momentary pauses from scrolling, but may not be sufficient enough to actually combat issues like social media dependency. This prompt is akin to Twitter’s new prompt (discussed here). People may take note of the reminder the first few times, but might eventually be desensitised and ignore the same.

While brainstorming measures to protect teens is of paramount importance, it’s equally important for these social media platforms to proactively think of measures that have lasting effects.

Also Read: How to Download Instagram Reel Videos and save them on your Mobile

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Heres how you can disable the new Firefox ads in the address bar

As if we aren’t being bombarded by enough ads on a daily basis, Firefox has decided to up the number via a new update that lets it display ads in the address bar. This means that you can see ads while you’re conducting any searches while using the browser. With this new update, the browser will show content from content partners while also displaying search suggestions and results. This new feature is called Firefox Suggest.

What is Firefox Suggest?

Firefox has offered information about Firefox Suggest on the support page so that users know exactly how to leverage the feature. Firefox says that this is a "feature that serves as a trustworthy guide to the better Web, surfacing relevant information and sites to help you accomplish your goals." These relevant suggestions come "from trusted partners based on what you're searching for." 

Firefox Suggest is not an automatically enabled feature - users can elect to enable it once the browser sends them a pop-up message asking whether they want to use the feature. All you need to do is click “Allow suggestions” for it to start working.

Will you see sponsored content?

Yes. 

Firefox will show you content from its sponsors through adMarketplace and will show you results based on the same. Sponsored links will be displayed at the end of the search bar. 

How to disable Firefox Suggest? You can easily disable Firefox Suggest by. Clicking the Menu button in the Firefox browser Clicking Settings > Privacy and Security. Scrolling the Address Bar options and heading to Firefox Suggest section Selecting or deselecting the checkbox next to Contextual suggestions.

 Also Read: Alternatives to banned app UC Browser for mobile browsing

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AirPods Rolls Out Conversation Boost to help those with hearing issues

Apple had announced its new range of accessibility features during WWDC 2021, and one of these included the new Conversation Boost feature. This feature isolates the voice of the person in front of you, and amplifies it while also reducing ambient noise. As a result, you will be able to hear the person you’re speaking to more clearly. As you can imagine, this feature is specifically targeted towards those with minor hearing problems. 

How can Apple’s Conversation Boost help people?

Apple’s new Conversation Boost feature is meant to help people with minor hearing problems, as well as those who find it hard to hear when there are a lot of ambient noises. Once the firmware 4A4800 is released, users will be able to not only switch on this new feature, but will also be able to customise the settings through sliders on their iPhones. These sliders will let you change the tone, level of ambient noise, and sound balance to suit your specific needs. 

Other Airpod features that will be launched soon

During the WWDC2021, Apple had also revealed a few other Airpod features that should enhance user experience, particularly for the differently-abled community. While the Airpods already support a feature that allows Siri to read out notifications, they will soon be able to accommodate a large range of apps and convert their content into audio. For instance, you can enable Siri to read out your grocery list when you reach the grocery store. Based on the way you use your iPhone, you can select which apps are integrated with Siri so that you can hear them whenever there’s something new.

Additionally, Apple also announced that they are enhancing the FInd My Airpods feature to ensure fewer people lose them. An AirTag-like feature will let you know if you are near the device, while the AirPods will also send separation alerts to your smartphone to let you know if you’re about to leave home without them.

This should go a long way in helping not only the different;y-abled community, but also the elder community across the world.

Also Read: EU proposes new mandatory Type-C port law on electronic device, Apple likely most affected

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Following Pranks, Netflix Will Now Edit Phone Numbers out of Squid Game

Popular Korean drama Squid Game will now be edited to remove phone numbers from the show. The OTT platform did not realise that the numbers shown in the show led to actual people. What followed the airing of the show was a series of prank calls made to these numbers. 

Unfortunate Guy Recieves A Barrage of Prank Calls

Squid Game’s trailer, as well as certain scenes from the show itself, depicts a card with a phone number on it. While the producer’s of the show did not realise that this was a complete number, fans of the show were quick to jot it down and start making phone calls. A man who chooses to remain unidentified claimed to be the owner of the number and has said that he’s been receiving prank calls ever since the show became a hit. Additionally, multiple other people have also come forward saying they’ve been receiving phone calls from fans of the show.

What is Squid Game about?

Squid Game is a Korean Drama that has shot to fame as it details the journey of a few players stuck in a sadistic game. That’s really all we can say without giving spoilers. This is the first Korean Show to sit on the number one spot in the US, as far as Netflix’s charts are concerned. Now, Netflix is going to edit out all phone numbers in the show so that fans can stop calling the poor individuals at the other end. 

Also Read: Netflix finally rolls out its Spatial Audio feature for the iPad and iPhone

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Stable Android 12 build Finally Released by Google

Android 12 was announced during I/O 2021, however, it’s been a while since then and we’ve only seen a few work-in-progress updates so far. If you’ve been waiting for the update though, here’s some good news - Google has finally announced the release of Android 12. The Android 12 build has been released for the Android Open Source Project. Google Pixel phones, on the other hand, are yet to receive the update, and it isn’t clear when that’ll be.

About the Android 12 update

The Android 12 will be released to Google Pixel phones like the Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3A, Pixel 4, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4A 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5A smartphones. Additionally, Google’s newer offerings, the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will have the new Android 12 preinstalled out of the box. A host of other brands such as Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, Realme, Tecno, and Vivo have revealed that their newer offerings will come with the Android 12 OS in 2021.

“We’re putting the finishing touches on a special release with Pixel-exclusive and Pixel-first experiences on Android 12. This will roll out to Pixel users in the next few weeks,” a Google spokesperson told Android Central.

One of the biggest differences to note in the Android 12 OS is the implementation of the Material You design in all its apps and overall aesthetic. The Android 12 OS will also feature a privacy dashboard, along with camera and microphone indicators and allegedly boost the overall performance of your smartphone. 

Also Read: OnePlus TV 40Y1 40-inch TV running Android TV launched priced at Rs 21,999

Video Source: Android Developers

 

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Intel Arc GPU Updates: Raja Koduri and Team on OEM Graphics Cards, Driver Features, Workload Balancing, and Much More

Intel's senior executives including graphics head honcho Raja Koduri answer questions about Intel Arc, the new series of discrete GPUs launching in early 2022

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Dream11 Suspends Operations in Karnataka After Complaint of Gambling Law Violation

Dream11 has suspended operations in Karnataka after a complaint was registered against its founders claiming it was in violation of a new state gambling law.

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