Social round-up 22 july

The UK government is taking drastic steps to regulate teen screen time. Set to take effect next spring, a new mandate will block access to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and some chatbots between midnight and 6:00 AM for 16- and 17-year-olds. This curfew is designed to complement a broader upcoming ban on social media for children under 16. The goal is to help teens prioritize sleep, focus on their studies, and spend more time connecting with family and friends offline. While the move has drawn criticism from opposition parties who argue that an opt-out “curfew” doesn’t go far enough, the ruling Labour party holds the majority needed to pass the legislation.

👉 Read the full article on NU.nl

In the age of AI-generated content, quality and cultural intelligence still reign supreme. A new joint study from TikTok and Warc reveals that while AI tools are incredible for speeding up workflows, they cannot replace the human element of relevance. Surveying 400 global marketers, the report highlighted that the brands winning today aren’t the ones pumping out the highest volume of AI-generated assets, but the ones demonstrating “cultural intelligence”—the ability to read community values and respond natively. While AI is useful for generating initial concepts, marketers noted its weakness in scripting and copywriting. The takeaway? Use AI to enhance your workflow, but rely on human insights and platform context to make it resonate.

👉 Read the full breakdown on Social Media Today

If you couldn’t refresh your feeds this past Sunday morning, you weren’t alone. Both Facebook and Instagram experienced a major technical disruption, with Downdetector registering nearly 5,000 reports for Facebook and 3,000 for Instagram around 10:00 AM. Users trying to log into Facebook were met with “site issue” error messages, while Instagram users experienced severe lagging and unloaded posts. Fortunately, WhatsApp remained unaffected, and Meta managed to resolve the issues later in the day.

👉 Read the full article on NU.nl

With the rise of unauthorized deepfakes, TikTok is stepping up its creator protections. The platform is currently testing a new opt-in tool that scans the app for AI-generated content that uses a creator’s likeness without permission. To use the tool, creators must verify their identity via a real-time selfie scan and an ID check through a third-party company called Jumio. Once verified, the system will actively hunt for potential unauthorized deepfakes, allowing the creator to review the flagged posts and easily report the offending accounts.

👉 Read the full article on The Verge

X is continuing its mission to clean up the timeline and reward original creators. Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, announced that the platform is now utilizing its Grok AI system to better detect and penalize engagement baiting and stolen content. Accounts that repeatedly solicit interactions (e.g., “I’ll follow everyone who replies”) or copy viral text posts will face severe consequences, including suspension and removal from the creator revenue share program. X’s improved detection models even flag added watermarks or minor edits to stolen posts, redirecting monetized impressions back to the original uploader. The ultimate goal is to redistribute revenue to the original creators who actually keep the platform alive.

👉 Read the full breakdown on Social Media Today