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Social media companies made $11 billion in US ad revenue from minors, Harvard study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY and HALELUYA HADERO (AP Technology Writers)Social media companies collectively made over $11 billion in U.S. advertising revenue from minors last year, according to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published on Wednesday. The researchers say the findings show a need for government regulation of social media since the companies that stand to make money from children who use their platforms have failed to meaningfully self-regulate. They note such regulations, as well greater transparency from tech companies, could help alleviate harms to youth mental health and curtail potentially harmful advertising practices that target children and adolescents.To come up with the revenue figure, the researchers estimated the number of users under 18 on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube in 2022 based on population data from the U.S. Census and survey data from Common Sense Media and Pew Research. They then used data ...

Gaston Glock, the Austrian developer of the Glock handgun, dies at 94

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

Gaston Glock, the Austrian developer of the handgun that bears his name, died on Wednesday. He was 94.The Glock company announced his death, the Austria Press Agency reported. Glock, a reclusive engineer, founded the company in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna. It has since expanded around the world, including a U.S. subsidiary founded in 1985.Glock handguns are used by police and some countries’ military forces, as well as private users. The weapon was significantly lighter, cheaper and more reliable than the models available when it was created.Glock said on its website that its founder “not only revolutionized the world of small arms in the 1980s, but also succeeded in establishing the Glock brand as the global leader in the handgun industry.”Berlin, The Associated Press

Prime Video makes changes as it sets launch date for showing ads in Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

TORONTO — Amazon’s Prime Video has picked the date when it’ll begin showing commercials on its streaming service in Canada.Representatives for the company told The Canadian Press they’ve marked Feb. 5, 2024, for the launch of ad breaks within its TV and film programming, which includes action series “Reacher” and the “Mr. Dressup” documentary.The ad tier will now be the default of the retailer’s Prime membership, which includes discounts on shipping. However, subscribers can opt out of commercials by paying an additional $2.99 per month.The announcement comes as streaming companies look for new ways to boost revenue, which has led many to introduce ad tiers on their cheapest monthly plans while raising the price of ad-free packages.Prime Video, which first outlined plans to launch “limited ads” in September, says it will screen “meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”Viewers in t...

High surf warnings issued for most of West Coast and parts of Hawaii; dangerous waves expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued high surf warnings for much of the West Coast and parts of Hawaii, describing the waves and rip currents expected to hit certain coastlines as potentially dangerous and life-threatening.The warnings were in place Wednesday for parts of Oregon and Hawaii. The weather service warned that waves of up to 25 feet during the day could morph into “dangerously large breaking waves” of up to 35 feet along Oregon’s southern coast by night, creating hazardous conditions and the potential for significant beach erosion. In Hawaii, the agency expected high surf between roughly 20 and 30 feet and powerful rip currents to affect the northern and western shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai and the north shore of Maui. It warned of ocean water surging and sweeping across beaches and potentially damaging roadways and coastal infrastructure.The high surf warning was set to be in place until Thursday night in southern Oregon...

A woman who burned Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic is ordered to pay $298,000

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has ordered a woman who set fire to Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution, the full amount sought by prosecutors.Lorna Green is serving five years in prison for burning Wellspring Health Access weeks before the clinic was set to open in Casper in 2022. The fire gutted the building while it was being renovated for the new clinic and delayed its opening by almost a year.After opening this past April, Wellspring is now the only abortion clinic in Wyoming. A clinic in Jackson that provided pill abortions closed Dec. 15 due to rising costs.On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson ordered Green, 22, to pay about $298,000 in restitution including $240,000 to Nationwide General Insurance Company, the clinic’s insurer.Green must also pay $33,500 to the building’s owner, Christine Lichtenfels, and $24,500 to Julie Burkhart, founder and president of Wellspring Health Access. Burkhart expressed satis...

No injuries reported in 2-alarm Scarborough fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

No injuries have been reported after a two-alarm fire at a home in Scarborough Wednesday.Toronto fire crews were called to Knockbolt Crescent near Midland and Finch Avenues to a heavy fire. The fire has been knocked down, but crews remain on the scene at this time.Toronto Fire Service say the fire started in the garage where it was mostly contained to and did not spread to the rest of the house. There were people in the home at the time, but they evacuated from the home.There’s no word on the cause of the fire at this point.

On Christmas Day, the work went on for overdose prevention society in Vancouver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

VANCOUVER — On Christmas Day, Trey Helten and colleagues at Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society were still at work, dealing with the latest victim of what Helten says is a seasonal spike in the drug toxicity crisis. Helten shared a photo and a story on social media on Monday describing how he and colleagues administered Naloxone to a man who had overdosed and stopped breathing on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.“At a time of the year when it’s supposed to be family togetherness, you lose someone that you care about. It can be extremely devastating,” said Helten in an interview. “So, the reason I posted it was just to bring awareness to it. It wasn’t to be exploitive or anything … at least we prevented one family from getting a call that their loved one is deceased,” he added. Helten’s photo, shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, shows a man lying on the street and being tended to.A plastic bag decorated with Santa Claus logos, th...

Illinois workers can begin earning time off under Paid Leave for All Workers Act starting Jan. 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Workers in Illinois will begin earning paid time off on Jan. 1 under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act.The new law allows workers to earn up to 40 hours of paid leave over a 12-month period. Workers will accrue one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked.Gov. JB Pritzker signed the legislation in March, making Illinois the third state in the nation and first in the Midwest to mandate paid leave for any reason.“Illinois is the most pro-worker state in the nation, and the Paid Leave for All Workers Act is a prime example of those values translating into action,” Pritzker said in a news release issued Wednesday. “Starting Jan. 1, I couldn’t be prouder that Illinois is officially becoming the first state in the Midwest to mandate paid leave for any reason. "From raising the minimum wage to enshrining the right to collective bargaining in our state constitution, my administration will continue to support and protect Illinois’ workforce at every turn.""The Paid Leave ...

The cities, states with the most expensive utility bills in the US: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

(KTLA) — Utility bills are a big part of every household budget and can vary from month to month based on factors like the weather, wholesale energy prices, and, of course, how much water, electricity and natural gas you use.A new report from doxoINSIGHTS has ranked every U.S. state and major city based on the average cost of utility bills.After reviewing the utility bills of users at Doxo.com (the service helps users pay and manage their bills in one location), the report determined the average U.S. household pays $351 each month in utilities, or $3,327 a year. While high, there are three other categories Americans spend more on: mortgage payments, rent, and auto loans. Heating your home this winter: Where will it cost the most? The report found residents in Hawaii spent the most on their utility bills, on average, at $633 per month. That was followed by Maine ($500/month), New Jersey ($467/month), Connecticut ($463/month) and Vermont ($428/month).On the opposite end of the list,...

New treatment for food allergies in kids moves closer to finish line

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

(The Hill) – An existing asthma treatment shows promise for reducing food allergies in children and is one step closer to approval that could come by the end of March.  Early data from a federally funded clinical trial showed children who received injections of the monoclonal antibody omalizumab could consume higher doses of peanut, egg, milk and cashew without allergic reactions compared to those who received a placebo. Omalizumab, marketed as Xolair and developed by Genentech and Novartis, has been on the market since 2003 as a treatment for allergy-induced asthma, chronic hives and an inflammatory sinus disease called chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.  More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch The companies last week announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing an application on a priority review basis for Xolair to be used to reduce reactions, including anaphylaxis, in cases of accidental exposure to foods. If approved, Xolair would b...