Ben Lovejoy from 9To5Mac:

“More schools are banning students from using smartphones in classes, with calls for a federal ban rather than the current mix of state laws. Apple’s home state of California is expected to be the next state to introduce a ban.

Orlando has so far taken the toughest line, banning smartphone use during the entire day, and blocking access to social media networks on the school wifi …

Worldwide, around one in four countries has implemented bans or restrictions on the use of smartphones in schools. A 9to5Mac poll conducted a year ago found strong support for the same happening in the US, with 73% in favor and only 21% opposed.

The three arguments made for such bans are:

1. Improves learning outcomes

2. Reduces classroom disruption

3. Protects children from cyberbullying

Within the US, four states have already implemented bans, or are in the process of doing so: Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, and South Carolina.”

A federal ban would be the best option since it would be one blanket law rather than a hodgepodge of different laws. Realistically though, we will probably see a few case studies of success in a few schools across the nation.

It will be a slow process, but implementation is the real challenge.

Continuing further:

“A survey conducted by the National Parents Union revealed that 70% are in favor of a ban, though the majority think this should be restricted to class times, with students allowed to use phones at lunchtime and during official breaks.”

Giving them access during lunch hours doesn’t solve the issue because that is supposed to be a time for ACTUAL socializing with one another, but it will end up being a bunch of people on their phones trying to get the latest FOMO itch scratched. Maybe not through social media, but through games, texting, and the list goes on.

Another question, will a simple VPN app remove these protections from getting social media access on school wifi?

Lauren Reiner from The Verge:

The Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (also known as COPPA 2.0), the first major internet bills meant to protect children to reach that milestone in two decades. A legislative vehicle that included both KOSA and COPPA 2.0 passed 91–3.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called it “a momentous day” in a speech ahead of the vote, saying that “the Senate keeps its promise to every parent who’s lost a child because of the risks of social media.” He called for the House to pass the bills “as soon as they can.

How does this bill work exactly?

The bill works by creating a duty of care for online platforms that are used by minors, requiring they take “reasonable” measures in how they design their products to mitigate a list of harms, including online bullying, sexual exploitation, drug promotion, and eating disorders. It specifies that the bill doesn’t prevent platforms from letting minors search for any specific content or providing resources to mitigate any of the listed harms, “including evidence-informed information and clinical resources.”

Creating a “duty of care” and taking “reasonable” measure are such vague terms that this Act is merely just that…

an act.

The real problem isn’t trying to regulate social media and the internet for kids. The real problem is the absence of parenting. There are plenty of teachers who would love for phones to be banned during school hours, but that solution would not be pleasing to the tech giants.

Nico DeMattia from TheDrive:

“According to Bloomberg, the scammer reached out to a Ferrari exec through WhatsApp pretending to be Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. The scammer reportedly asked “Hey, did you hear about the big acquisition we’re planning? I could need your help.” While the WhatsApp number and photo were different than the real Vigna’s, the exec seemingly kept the conversation going, as the messages continued.

The scammer kicked things up a notch when they called the exec, using AI deepfake technology to mimic Vigna’s voice and even his southern Italian accent. According to the Ferrari exec, the deepfake accent was nearly perfect. However, the exec couldn’t shake the feeling that something fishy was going on, so they told the scammer that they needed to verify the caller’s identity. To do this, they asked what book Vigna recently recommended to them. The title was “Decalogue of Complexity: Acting, Learning and Adapting in the Incessant Becoming of the World” by Alberto Felice De Toni. Of course, the scammer didn’t know that—so they promptly hung up.”

That exec that was targeted did everything right.

1. He noticed the phone number was different.

2. He wanted to speak to the CEO to make sure it was from him.

3. The Deepfake sounded convincing but still the exec was not fully convinced, so he asked the deepfake a question that only the real CEO would know, which made the scammer hang up.