Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signed two bills into law on Thursday that aim to protect kids and teens from social media harms, making it the latest state to take action as federal proposals still await votes.One of the bills, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, will require parental consent for social media companies to use “addictive feeds” powered by recommendation algorithms on kids and teens under 18. The other, the New York Child Data Protection Act, would limit data collection on minors without consent and restrict the sale of such information but does not require age verification. That law will take effect in a year.States across the country have taken the lead on enacting legislation to protect kids... Continue reading…

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images TikTok says that the government didn’t adequately consider viable alternative options before charging ahead with a law that could ban the platform in the US. TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is based in China, claims that it provided the US government with an extensive and detailed plan to mitigate national security risks and that this plan was largely ignored when Congress passed a law with a huge impact on speech.In briefs filed at the DC Circuit Court on Thursday, both TikTok and a group of creators on the platform who’ve filed their own suit spelled out their case for why they believe the new law violates the First Amendment. The court is set to hear oral arguments in the case on September 16th, just a few months before the... Continue reading…

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a beloved processor with excellent performance at a reasonable price. It's the last generation of processors for the AM4 platform and can save you a lot of money without sacrificing computing prowess. Based on Zen 3, this CPU is capable of hitting speeds up to 4.6 GHz without manual overclocking and there are 6 cores and 12 threads to handle as many tasks as you can throw at it. Being able to utilize the fastest DDR4 RAM kits on the market is also a bonus here.

One of the new features that came out with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 was the ability to create custom Apple Fitness+ workout plans, and that feature continues to be a popular one with iOS 18. Custom workouts have been available in the Workout app since watchOS 9, but these features take it to new levels. You can now schedule monthly or weekly fitness routines, select the days of the week you plan to exercise, the planned duration of each workout, what activity type, the instructor, what music you want, and so much more.

Struggling to find a PC game to play? It's no secret that games released today don't have as much magic as those from the 1990s and early 2000s. There are some excellent games from talented studios, but many fall short of what came before. So sit back, grab a beverage, and make some notes as I'm going to run through a shortlist of classic PC games you can still play today on a desktop or laptop PC running Windows 11.

Zoom controls in image viewers and editors come in two different flavors; they either give you a full range of zoom options for maximum customizability, or they force you into using pre-set zoom options that you cannot change. For a long time, Windows Photos opted for the latter, which made it quite frustrating when you wanted to achieve a specific zoom level. Now, Microsoft is finally fixing this by adding a zoom slider, something it should have honestly added a long time ago.

It’s the ideal power bank if your office never stops moving. | Photo: Anker My army of portable chargers is eight soldiers strong. It’s a little ridiculous, but the variety gives me flexibility to pick the perfect charger for the day’s needs, whether it’s my sleek MagSafe charger to keep my iPhone going on longer days or a bigger brick for my iPad, camera, and other devices when I anticipate heavier usage. My collection ballooned as charging tech improved over the years, but it’s way more than any one person needs. I’m hoping to consolidate my kit with the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) I’ve been eyeing, and now seems a decent time to buy since it’s matching its all-time low of $124.99 ($55 off) at Amazon and directly from Anker with code WS7DV2MTYMJV. It’s compatible with an optional $69.99 magnetic... Continue reading…

There's no better way to expand the port selection on your laptop than with a USB hub. Not only do you get a variety of ports, but with this Anker 553 USB-C hub, you also get a way to expand your screen real estate too.

Kaspersky could be looking at tough times ahead as the Biden Administration announced plans to ban the company's products in the US. As far as how this ban will affect customers, well, it's going to be pretty major, with a complete shut-down of sales and support in the United States.

Image: @TEQHNIKACROSS on X Samsung’s next Galaxy Buds have been rumored to resemble AirPods, and new leaked renders make the comparison clearer than ever. The renders, purportedly found on Korean retailer Coupang, show that Samsung might be moving on from its bulb-shaped buds in favor of wireless headphones with AirPods-like stems, AirPods-like vents, and even an AirPods-like case.I’ve made an image slider so you can compare one of the renders with a photo of Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro. The big difference with Samsung’s new buds is a metallic silver color and some more angular features.If this is indeed the new look for Samsung’s earbuds — Samsung is apparently working on standard and Pro versions of the Galaxy Buds 3, both with stems — it would mark... Continue reading…

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge If you used a virtual private network (VPN) to purchase a YouTube Premium in a country where it’s cheaper, your subscription might be on the chopping block. Over the past few days, several people who’ve used this trick reported having their subscriptions automatically canceled, as reported earlier by Android Police.The workaround involves using a VPN to change your location to a country where YouTube Premium is offered at a lower price. For example, YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month in the US for ad-free access to videos, YouTube Music, and offline downloads, but just $1.05 per month (869 ARS) in Argentina. But now, it looks like YouTube is cracking down on subscribers who don’t actually live in these countries.In a statement... Continue reading…

Image: Crystal Dynamics Embracer Group, the gaming giant that has the rights to big franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider, detailed how it’s thinking about the use of artificial intelligence for game development in its latest annual report.The conglomerate, which recently split into three separate companies, has adopted a “Group AI Policy” that it says is based on the notion of “empowerment.” While the report doesn’t include the text of the policy, there’s a chunk of text in the report’s “Risk and Mitigation Overview” section that seems to offer a summary of its stance on AI:AI has the capability to massively enhance game development by increasing resource efficiency, adding intelligent behaviors, personalization, and optimization to gameplay... Continue reading…