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Hollywood Pushes Back as Instagram Borrows PG-13 Rating

Motion Picture Association says Meta, relying on automated content filters, is misleading parents

(Newser) - Instagram's attempt to assure parents that teen accounts would be governed by "PG-13" standards has prompted a sharp rebuke from the Motion Picture Association, which sent a cease-and-desist letter to Instagram's parent company last week. The MPA, which represents film studios and streaming services and oversees Hollywood'...

Teachers Flooded With Violent Messages Over Halloween Shirts

Math faculty at Arizona high school accused of mocking Charlie Kirk's death, though the costumes were worn last year

(Newser) - Arizona high school teachers have received a flood of threats after a Halloween costume featuring fake blood was interpreted on social media as mocking the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The "Problem Solved" shirts, worn by math teachers at Cienega High School near Tucson, were intended as a...

Britney Spears Vanishes From Instagram as Drama Escalates

Fans worry after bruises, cryptic messages, amid Federline feud

(Newser) - Britney Spears has deleted her Instagram account after a series of concerning posts amid an escalating feud with ex-husband Kevin Federline over claims made in his new memoir . Fans first noticed her account had vanished on Sunday, with Instagram displaying a message saying her profile "may have been removed,...

Why Young Canadians Are 'Doom Spending'
Why Young Canadians
Are 'Doom Spending'
longform
Nov 2, 2025 3:10 PM CST

Why Young Canadians Are 'Doom Spending'

Debt and rent are squeezing budgets, but Canada's Gen Z keeps swiping

(Newser) - Young Canadians are racking up debt at record rates, and not because they're chasing luxury. As Maclean's reports, a growing wave of "doom spending" is sweeping through the country's Gen Z, fueled by economic instability, stagnant wages, and a need for small comforts in a bleak...

Missing Louisiana Girl Found in Pennsylvania Basement

Authorities say 13-year-old, who is recovering, was groomed online to run away

(Newser) - Police in Pennsylvania say they discovered a missing 13-year-old girl alive and hidden inside a box in a suspect's basement, reports the Guardian . Authorities in Pittsburgh arrested 26-year-old Ki-Shawn Crumity last week, charging him with human trafficking, sexual assault, and related offenses. According to the criminal complaint, the girl...

Parents Will Hate Dictionary.com's Word of the Year
Parents Will Hate
Dictionary.com's
Word of the Year
in case you missed it
Nov 2, 2025 6:33 AM CST

Parents Will Hate Dictionary.com's Word of the Year

There's no escaping '67' this year

(Newser) - Dictionary.com has named "67" —that's "six seven," not sixty-seven, as anyone with a tween or teen knows—its 2025 Word of the Year. The term, popularized by Gen Alpha on social media, is used as a random interjection and has spread through schools and...

Vance Defends Comments on His Wife's Faith

Comments about second lady's faith draw criticism from South Asian groups

(Newser) - Second lady Usha Vance, who is Hindu, has said publicly that she doesn't plan to convert to Christianity. But her husband told a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi this week that he has hope that she'll decide to share his Catholic faith. "I honestly do wish...

5 Arrested in Death of De Niro's Grandson

Suspects are accused of selling fentanyl-laced pills via social media

(Newser) - Five people have been arrested in connection with the fatal overdose of Robert De Niro's grandson, Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, who died last July at age 19. Federal prosecutors say the suspects are accused of distributing counterfeit Xanax pills laced with fentanyl throughout New York City and Long Island, allegedly...

You May Want to Rethink Adopting a Pet Monkey

Poachers kill mother spider monkeys, hurt babies, and risk the species, expert warns

(Newser) - A growing black market is tearing spider monkey families apart in southern Mexico, where poachers are killing adults and snatching their babies to sell as exotic pets in the United States—often through social media. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, almost 90 baby spider monkeys have been...

Houston Locals Want Answers on Bodies in Bayous

There's been a spike, but officials say they're not the work of a serial killer

(Newser) - A spike in the number of bodies recovered from Houston's bayous has fueled public anxiety and whispers of a serial killer, but city officials insist those fears are unfounded. Mayor John Whitmire and police say there's no evidence of a serial killer, despite seven bodies found in September...

Lost Surfboard Went on a Heck of a Journey

Australian owner to be reunited with barnacle-crusted board found 1.5K miles away in New Zealand

(Newser) - A surfboard lost at sea off the southern tip of Australia nearly a year and a half ago has turned up some 1,500 miles away, caked in barnacles but otherwise intact. The board's unexpected journey ended about two weeks ago when kite surfer Alvaro Bon, a French expat...

Fraudsters Find a Way Into Atlanta's Luxury Apartments

Social media, rising rents fuel surge in rental application scams

(Newser) - A wave of rental-application fraud is sweeping Atlanta, as rising rents and a glut of luxury apartments push desperate renters to fake their way into high-end buildings. Influencers on TikTok openly promote doctored pay stubs, fake Social Security numbers, and other fraudulent documents created using generative artificial intelligence—sometimes selling...

Police Say AI Hoax Behind Monkey Reports in Newark

No roaming primates were found in Jersey city, as authorities blame viral AI images

(Newser) - Police in Newark, New Jersey, say reports of monkeys roaming city streets this week appear to be a hoax fueled by AI-generated images. Officers responded to calls about loose monkeys at the Georgia King Village apartment complex on Thursday morning, following similar reports the day before, reports PIX11 . One image...

Federline: Spears' Sons Have Cut Contact Over Safety Fears

Singer's ex says Sean, 20, and Jayden, 19, haven't visited Spears in months due to fears

(Newser) - Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline says their sons have stopped visiting their pop star mom, claiming they're "terrified" and worried about her well-being. Federline made the comments Thursday in an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, reports Page Six . Spears "saw one of my sons one day this...

She Lost Her Pregnancy, Says Meta Is Making It Worse

Users say ad filters fail to block painful pregnancy content

(Newser) - Women who have experienced pregnancy loss say Facebook's ad algorithms are failing them at vulnerable moments. After losing her baby, Hayley turned to online forums for support, only to be met with a stream of ads for maternity wear and baby products—ads she couldn't easily block....

Australia Prepares for Social Media Ban on Under-16s

Government offers tips to wean kids off social media before ban kicks in

(Newser) - The Australian government has begun a public education campaign with tips on how to wean children off social media ahead of a world-first national 16-year age limit taking effect in December. Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Friday that information on her agency's website, esafety.gov.au , explained...

Chicago's Famous Rat Hole Wasn't Made by a Rat

Researchers say a squirrel likely left the sidewalk imprint

(Newser) - Chicago's famed "rat hole"—a rodent-shaped impression in a North Side sidewalk that drew crowds and offerings from locals—wasn't actually made by a rat, the New York Times reports. Dubbed "Splatatouille," the mysterious hole captured the city's imagination, with many believing a...

Trump Slams Time Over Cover Photo
Trump Slams
Time Over
Cover Photo
Oct 14, 2025 12:17 PM CDT

Trump Slams Time Over Cover Photo

Magazine 'disappeared my hair,' says president

(Newser) - President Trump has a new beef with Time magazine: its choice of a cover photo of him. See the image here . The president took to Truth Social to criticize the photo as maybe the "Worst of All Time." He acknowledged that the accompanying story about the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire...

So It Turns Out Your Long List of Facebook Friends Is a Lie

Brainpower limits genuine human relationships to around 150: says anthropologist Robin Dunbar

(Newser) - Despite the boundless reach of social media, our brains are wired to juggle no more than about 150 meaningful relationships—a social ceiling rooted in our evolutionary past, according to British anthropologist Robin Dunbar. His research comparing primate brain sizes and social groupings—published as far back as 1993,...

Calling Someone a 'Foodie' May Now Be an Insult

Term went from niche obsession to everyday identity in American dining culture

(Newser) - The term "foodie" may have peaked, and faded, but its spirit is now woven into American culture. Once, being a foodie meant seeking out rare cheeses, enduring hourslong lines for pastries, and knowing the backstory of every chef in town. It was a subculture powered by TV stations...

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