Senators, CEOs and social media safety

+ AI and the creative process US Edition - Today's top story: Are social media apps 'dangerous products'? 2 scholars explain how the companies rely on young users but fail to protect them [View in browser]( US Edition | 1 February 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [UNRWA and refugee funding has long been political]( - [Super Bowl advertisers are finding it harder to score]( - [Podcast: What happens when taxonomists go rogue]( Lead story Social media company CEOs were raked over the coals at yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child safety. The fiery rhetoric and righteous indignation of senators from both parties obscured a fundamental reality: Social media companies as they exist today depend on a steady flow of children becoming new users and at the same time have little incentive to change their business models to protect kids on their platforms. Social media researchers Joan Donovan of Boston University and McGill University’s Sara Parker explain why this is the case and [what it will take for companies to change]( – or for Congress to force them to. [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor The CEOs of Discord, Snap, TikTok, X and Meta prepare to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31, 2024. Alex Wong/Getty Images [Are social media apps ‘dangerous products’? 2 scholars explain how the companies rely on young users but fail to protect them]( Joan Donovan, Boston University; Sara Parker, McGill University As legislators rail against social media companies, the companies continue to put millions of young people at risk. Here’s how − and what can be done about it. International - [Funding for refugees has long been politicized − punitive action against UNRWA and Palestinians fits that pattern]( Nicholas R. Micinski, University of Maine; Kelsey Norman, Rice University The US is among more than a dozen countries to freeze funding to UN agency providing aid to displaced Gazans over allegations of complicity in the Oct. 7 attack. Economy + Business - [With the economy looking bright enough, the Federal Reserve seems content to play the waiting game]( Christopher Decker, University of Nebraska Omaha The central bank is ‘really in risk management mode,‘ its chairman said. - [Super Bowl ads: It’s getting harder for commercials to score with consumers]( Linda Ferrell, Auburn University; O.C. Ferrell, Auburn University Marketers are increasingly focused on reaching narrow audiences – but when it comes to mass appeal, the Super Bowl doesn’t miss. Education - [AI can help − and hurt − student creativity]( Sabrina Habib, University of South Carolina A study in which students brainstormed all the uses of a paper clip shows that AI can both enhance and harm the creative process. Science + Technology - [Republicans and Democrats consider each other immoral – even when treated fairly and kindly by the opposition]( Phillip McGarry, University of Tennessee With growing polarization, political attitudes have begun to coincide with moral convictions. Partisans increasingly view each other as immoral. New research reveals the depth of that conviction. Politics + Society - [Supreme Court word-count limits for lawyers, explained in 1,026 words]( Derek H. Kiernan-Johnson, University of Colorado Boulder Lawyers submitting briefs to the Supreme Court in the Trump Colorado ballot case must file a ‘certificate of word count.’ Why? As one judge put it, lawyers’ briefs are ‘too long, too long, too long.’ - [Why treason is a key topic in Trump’s 14th Amendment appeal to the Supreme Court]( Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland US law has long held that those who support rebels and insurrectionists are just as guilty of treason as those who support foreign enemies. - [The last days of Woodrow Wilson]( Thomas Doherty, Brandeis University On the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s death, a presidential historian looks at how he was able to stay in power despite his illnesses. Health + Medicine - [Suicide has reached epidemic proportions in the US − yet medical students still don’t receive adequate training to treat suicidal patients]( Rodolfo Bonnin, Florida International University; Leonard M. Gralnik, Florida International University; Nathaly Shoua-Desmarais, Florida International University Close to half of those who die by suicide saw a primary care doctor within a month of their death. Arts + Culture - [Norman Jewison’s ‘Rollerball’ depicted a world in which corporations controlled all information – is this dystopian vision becoming reality?]( Matthew Jordan, Penn State As the journalism industry continues to crater, wealthy plutocrats are consolidating their control over information systems. Podcast 🎙️ - [Rogue taxonomists, competing lists and accusations of anarchy: The complicated journey toward a list of all life on Earth]( Gemma Ware, The Conversation Stephen Garnett takes us inside a scientific spat about how to govern the naming of new species. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast. Trending on site - [For 150 years, Black journalists have known what Confederate monuments really stood for]( - [Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome]( - [Inside the black box of Amazon returns]( Today's graphic 📈 [A bar chart showing if Ukrainians said ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’ in response to the question ‘Should Ukraine engage in peace negotiations in Russia?’ The question was asked in May 2022, August 2022, January 2023, May 2023 and November 2023. The most recent data shows that a slim majority of Ukrainians polled now say ]( From the story, [What latest polling says about the mood in Ukraine – and the desire to remain optimistic amid the suffering]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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