States have a good case in suing Meta for preying on kids

Thirty-three state attorneys general left, right and center have filed suit in California federal court against internet giant Meta, and another nine are suing the company in their respective states. The central claim — that the company has built Instagram and Facebook features “to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens … and has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms” — must be taken seriously.

Automakers, it won’t hurt to share that buyback bounty

Stock buybacks are the perfect target for the United Auto Workers. The freest of free cash flow, they may as well be a billboard saying: “So many dollars, we don’t what to do with them!” In the minds of many, they also look like giveaways to the very wealthiest who own many of the stocks being bought, and carry a whiff of financial engineering shenanigans, juicing earnings to the benefit of bosses’ bonuses.

Losing your job shouldn’t mean losing your identity

From California-based tech giants Twitter and Meta to retailers such as Amazon and Walmart, few industries have been spared from layoffs in recent weeks. These layoffs are a devastating blow to workers’ livelihoods. But the ripple effects run deeper than paychecks. When you lose your job, you also lose an identity.

If TikTok, SnapChat aren’t harming kids they should prove it

The US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has issued a warning that social media could be harming our kids. His social media advisory is a welcome road map for what everyone — policymakers, tech companies, parents, kids and researchers — should be doing to better understand the impact of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat on the developing brains of adolescents.

Nowhere to turn: South Carolina abortion ban leaves South with few options

South Carolina, a red state holdout on imposing draconian abortion bans, has now folded, with Gov. Henry McMaster expected to sign a six week ban that cleared the legislature this week. It was the second attempt, with the state Senate now overcoming the joint opposition of the body’s only five women who had blocked the measure once before. At six weeks, most women or girls won’t even know she’s pregnant, making the ban all but a total one.

One answer to the migration crisis? Jobs

The Biden administration’s sensible new policy for asylum seekers — requiring them to submit applications in Latin American countries before arriving — seems to have preempted a wave of migration to the border, at least for now. But what about those the US has already legally admitted into the country, who are being blocked from doing what the American economy needs them to do: work?

Dick Durbin: Proposed Biden rules would protect students from debt, improve college programs

As a first-generation college student, Victoria Vences enrolled in the criminal justice program at Westwood College in 2007 believing it would help her land a job as a probation officer or with the immigration service. After three years of juggling a full-time job while being a full-time student, Victoria started applying for law enforcement jobs, showing potential employers her certificate from Westwood.

Major questions on minors: Research and regulation needed on child social media use

A new report from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlines how often compulsive social media use by children and teens leads to a variety of negative health outcomes, including declining mental health, lack of sleep, exposure to harassment and other problems. As platforms like Instagram and TikTok become ubiquitous with 95% of kids using some app, the report calls on parents, children, tech companies and, crucially, policymakers to take action.

Fast fashion: Cheap clothing at a great cost

In February 2019, Kim Kardashian took to Twitter to express her disapproval for an online fashion company that is known to sell knockoff designer clothing. She complained that she had worn a one-of-a-kind dress, and in less than 24 hours a website had stolen her look and sold it online. The internet felt the shock waves of a fashionista dismayed. While her issue with this process is rooted in designer disrespect, it raises alarming questions: Exactly how do these fashion companies do it so fast, and why is their product so affordable?

Red-flag laws offer hope against mass shootings

Last week’s mass shooting at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville is the latest reminder of America’s worsening epidemic of gun violence. It should be more than enough to spur elected officials to pass common-sense measures to keep guns away from unstable individuals.

America’s Achilles’ heel

This week marks 10 years since unknown assailants attacked a power substation in Metcalf, California, that continues to serve as a harbinger about the vulnerability of the nation’s electric infrastructure.

Fly to Mars? Maybe. But why?

Last week NASA announced the names of the four astronauts who will crew Artemis II, a 10-day mission planned for November 2024. The expedition will boost humans out of an Earth-bound orbit for the first time since 1972 and put them into orbit around the moon, in preparation for subsequent missions that will include lunar landings.