Ghana Minute.
Thursday, 30 July 2026
Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Thursday, 30 July 2026
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Ghanaian press · Organization

Facebook

Meta Platforms — social media company operating Facebook and Instagram, facing multiple US lawsuits over youth addiction and safety practices.

2026-04-272026-07-30

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. July 2026
  2. Joy Online

    Shares in the firm behind Instagram and Facebook fell 11% after its results for the quarter from April to June showed revenue grew 28% from a year ago to $61bn (£45.6bn), while profits fell 14% to $6bn.

    Meta shares fall as frustration grows over AI spending plans
  3. The Chronicle

    Russia’s government has also blocked social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram while ramping up restrictions on services like YouTube.

    Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with ‘aiding terrorism’
  4. Joy Online

    A judge is weighing additional financial penalties as well as an order ​directing the company to change Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in the state.

    Meta disregarded its own research on teen harm, Tennessee tells jury
  5. Joy Online

    In a Public Alert on Facebook, CSA said: “Between January and June this year, the CSA recorded 112 cases from vendors and customers, up from 61 over the same period in 2025, with financial losses arising from GHC84,592 to GHC 296, 083.68.” It has therefore asked the public to ver

    Over GH¢296k lost to restaurant and food-vendor impersonation scams – CSA
  6. Joy Online

    rust of smartphones and social media over the past decade among her patients’ families. “People are tense (about smartphones),” she said. “There’s been a real change of atmosphere.” A smartphone displays a folder of social media applications, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook

    France becomes the first EU country to ban social media for children
  7. Joy Online

    New Mexico’s lawsuit against the ⁠company went to ​trial earlier this year, and a jury found the company had misled consumers about the safety of ​its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.

    Meta faces Tennessee trial over allegations Instagram was designed to be addictive
  8. Joy Online

    Yet, the desire for a “perfect smile” for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram reels overrides caution.

    “Pretty Hurts”: The unregulated war on beauty in Ghana – a sister thinking out loud
  9. Joy Online

    Meta’s Instagram and Facebook social networks appeared ​to suffer some outages ‌on Sunday, with users reporting issues with the app ​and website.

    Users of Meta’s Facebook, Instagram report suffering some outages
  10. Joy Online

    The lawsuit said that X “routinely ignores” users’ copyright infringement and that other major ​platforms like TikTok, ​Facebook and YouTube ⁠properly license music from the publishers.

    Musk’s X, major labels end dispute over music on social-media platform
  11. Joy Online

    The report found Stardust shares the same kind of data with Facebook and AppsFlyer, an advertising analytics company, though you can opt out using your phone’s privacy settings.

    The privacy problems hidden in your period tracker
Business

Meta shares drop 11% as investors question AI spending plans

The News

Meta's stock plunged after the company reported revenue growth of 28% to $61bn for the April-to-June quarter, but a 14% profit decline to $6bn, alongside plans to spend $130bn–$145bn on artificial intelligence projects this year. Investors expressed concern that Meta's expanding AI spending—which accounted for nearly all of the company's free cash flow this quarter—lacks clear commercial returns yet.

14 hours ago · Joy Online

Today

  1. Meta shares drop 11% as investors question AI spending plans

    Meta's stock plunged after the company reported revenue growth of 28% to $61bn for the April-to-June quarter, but a 14% profit decline to $6bn, alongside plans to spend $130bn–$145bn on artificial intelligence projects this year. Investors expressed concern that Meta's expanding AI spending—which accounted for nearly all of the company's free cash flow this quarter—lacks clear commercial returns yet.

    14 hours ago · Joy Online

  2. Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism

    Russian authorities have charged Pavel Durov, cofounder of the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, with "aiding terrorism" and issued an international arrest warrant, alleging his company failed to remove channels and bots used by Ukrainian special services and terrorist organisations to coordinate attacks in Russia.

    16 hours ago · The Chronicle

Tuesday 28 July

  1. Tennessee sues Meta over Instagram's impact on teen mental health

    Tennessee's attorneys told a jury that Meta disregarded internal research showing Instagram's features like autoplay and infinite scroll caused eating disorders, depression and self-harm among teenagers, prioritizing profit over safety. Meta's defense maintains the company has been transparent about risks and works to find and fix problems.

    28 July 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 24 July

  1. Restaurant impersonation scams cost Ghanaians GH¢296k in six months

    The Cyber Security Authority reported 112 restaurant and food-vendor impersonation scam cases between January and June 2026, resulting in financial losses of GH¢296,083.68, up from 61 cases in the same period of 2025. The CSA advised the public to verify contact details through official websites and verified social media pages, avoid unfamiliar payment links, insist on payment after delivery, and monitor accounts for unauthorised transactions.

    24 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 21 July

  1. France becomes first EU country to ban social media for under-15s

    French lawmakers voted to ban social media use for children under 15, with the bill set to take effect this school year after President Emmanuel Macron signs it into law. The ban makes France the first EU country to impose such a restriction, following Australia's implementation of a ban for under-16s last year.

    21 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Meta faces Tennessee trial over Instagram addiction allegations

    Meta faces trial in Tennessee over claims that Instagram was designed to be addictive and contributed to a youth mental-health crisis. Tennessee's Attorney General alleges the company violated consumer protection law by knowingly designing the product to drive compulsive teen use, failing to disclose internal research on harms, and misleading the public about platform safety.

    21 July 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 20 July

  1. Ghana's unregulated beauty industry drives health crisis

    Ghana's expanding beauty clinics and spas, which proliferate across major cities, offer cosmetic procedures including skin-lightening and body enhancement, but weak regulatory oversight by the FDA and HeFRA allows untrained practitioners to administer injectables and invasive procedures, experts warn this is fuelling rising rates of cancer, kidney disease, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases.

    20 July 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Meta's Facebook and Instagram suffer outages Sunday

    Meta's Facebook and Instagram social networks experienced outages on Sunday, with 4,808 reports filed by U.S. Facebook users and 2,829 reports by U.S. Instagram users according to Downdetector; access was also intermittent in Singapore. Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    20 July 2026 · Joy Online

  3. Musk's X settles music copyright dispute with major labels

    X Corp and major music publishers including Universal Music Group and Sony Music have agreed to end their legal dispute over music use on the X platform, with both parties asking federal courts in Tennessee and Texas to dismiss the labels' copyright infringement lawsuit and X's countersuit.

    20 July 2026 · Joy Online

Thursday 16 July

  1. Period tracker apps vary widely in privacy protections

    Mozilla Foundation investigated six popular period trackers and found that while some have strong privacy protections, others share users' health data with Google, Meta, TikTok, and other companies. The concern is heightened since the US Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections in 2022, as experts worry period-tracking data could be used in criminal cases.

    16 July 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 13 July

  1. YouTube recommending eating disorder videos to teens despite new rules

    Research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found that one in 10 videos recommended by YouTube's algorithm to a simulated 13-year-old girl featured thinspiration, extreme calorie restriction or other harmful material. This occurred a year after new rules were introduced to curb harmful online content, though the situation had improved over the past two years.

    13 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 8 July

  1. Meta's AI image tool draws backlash over consent

    Meta is facing criticism over its new Muse Image AI tool, which can generate images using other people's public Instagram profile pictures without explicit consent. Advocates and privacy groups warn the feature risks facilitating non-consensual AI-altered images, though Meta says users can opt out through a dedicated setting.

    8 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 7 July

  1. Meta faces $1.4 trillion penalty claim in US youth safety trial

    Meta disclosed in a court filing that four US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over allegations the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and misled the public about their safety, ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California.

    7 July 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 3 July

  1. Loan apps in Ghana use tech ads, issue aggressive debt-collection threats

    Joy Online's investigation found that digital lending applications downloaded from sponsored advertisements on YouTube and Facebook issued threatening messages to borrowers, including references to curses, death, and harassment of family members, within days of download and before repayment deadlines.

    3 July 2026 · Joy Online

Wednesday 1 July

  1. Edem's "Gota" single sparks viral Ewe catchphrase trend

    Ghanaian rapper Edem's latest single "Gota"—an Ewe phrase meaning "We're Outside"—has become a fast-growing social media expression, with users captioning posts across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. The song, featuring MC Kojo Manuel, Chief One, Kpese Boi and Morgan Nero, has generated over 20,000 combined videos on TikTok and is positioned as one of the year's defining party anthems.

    1 July 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 30 June

  1. Academic City Dean criticizes Ghana's exam-heavy education model

    Professor Enoch Opoku Antwi, Dean at Academic City University College, has criticized Ghana's education assessment structure of 40% continuous assessment and 60% final examinations, arguing it rewards memorization over understanding and places students at risk if illness or emergencies occur on exam day. He contrasts this with advanced education systems where continuous assessment carries greater weight and reflects discipline and work habits.

    30 June 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Federal judge denies Meta's motion to dismiss state lawsuit

    A U.S. District Judge rejected Meta Platforms' attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 29 state attorneys general accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and concealing the harms. The judge denied Meta's motion to dismiss claims based on deception and unfair practices, and granted summary judgment to the states on violations of the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

    30 June 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 29 June

  1. WhatsApp introduces usernames to protect user privacy

    WhatsApp has announced a new feature allowing users to connect via usernames instead of sharing phone numbers, with reservations opening this week ahead of the official launch later this year. The move aims to give users control over personal information in new or casual connections and addresses concerns about sharing digits in group chats.

    29 June 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 22 June

  1. WhatsApp's Will Cathcart to step back; Kunal Shah takes lead

    WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart is leaving his role after nearly seven years, during which he scaled the platform to more than three billion users. Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah, who built Cred, will take over as head of WhatsApp.

    22 June 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 19 June

  1. Kofi Kinaata's 'Black Stars' song dominates Ghana's World Cup campaign

    Highlife star Kofi Kinaata's patriotic anthem 'Black Stars,' produced by WillisBeatz and released before Ghana's Panama match, has become the unofficial anthem for Ghana's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign and the most-used Black Stars track on social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

    19 June 2026 · Daily Guide

Thursday 18 June

  1. US appeals court permits Ohio law requiring parental consent for child social media

    A U.S. appeals court in Cincinnati ruled that Ohio can enforce a law requiring social media platforms including Instagram to obtain parental consent before allowing children under 16 to use their services, overturning a lower-court block and finding the law does not violate First Amendment protections.

    18 June 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 16 June

  1. Ghana's free speech and media freedoms: progress and emerging challenges

    Ghana has developed one of Africa's most open communication environments since the 1992 Constitution, with citizens and journalists engaging freely on governance and public issues. However, new challenges including political polarization, misinformation, online harassment, digital surveillance, hate speech, economic pressures on journalism, and legal contestation of public expression have emerged in the digital age.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online

  2. Florida sues TikTok for violating child safety law

    Florida's attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming TikTok violated the state's law barring social media platforms from allowing children under age 14 to create accounts, alleging the platform allows underage users access and misrepresents exposure to violent or sexual content. TikTok says it is complying with the law and suspending accounts of users under 14 in Florida.

    16 June 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 15 June

  1. UK announces social media ban for under-16s

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban social media sites such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram for under-16s, with restrictions on gaming and livestreaming platforms where children can contact strangers. The government expects regulation by year-end and enforcement around spring.

    15 June 2026 · The Chronicle

Sunday 14 June

  1. UK to ban under-16s from major social media platforms

    Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce a ban on under-16s using major social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, X, and others. The government will also restrict children from livestreaming on "safer" sites and talking to strangers on gaming apps, with additional measures such as social media curfews for older teenagers being considered.

    14 June 2026 · Joy Online

Friday 12 June

  1. SpaceX raises $75bn ahead of Friday stock market debut

    SpaceX has raised $75bn from financial firms ahead of its initial public offering on Friday, with shares priced at $135 each and an expected initial stock market value of nearly $1.8tn. If shares trade at or above that price, SpaceX will immediately become one of the most valuable public companies in the world.

    12 June 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 8 June

  1. PR strategy requires matching communication tools to situation

    According to PR expert Prosper Delali Ayayee, successful public relations depends not just on message quality but on selecting the right communication channel for each situation—whether managing a crisis, launching projects, or engaging stakeholders. The medium chosen can determine success or failure, as modern PR professionals must navigate traditional media, digital platforms, and face-to-face engagement.

    8 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times

Thursday 4 June

  1. Nigeria woman convicted, sentenced to seven years for human trafficking

    The Ghana Immigration Service secured the conviction of a Nigerian trader, Ada Peace, for human trafficking and immigration offences, resulting in a seven-year prison sentence from an Accra Circuit Court. The GIS Asankragwa Sector Command's intelligence-led operation rescued two victims, aged 21 and 13, who were recruited with false job promises and forced into prostitution.

    4 June 2026 · Joy Online

Tuesday 2 June

  1. London mayor backs social media ban for under-16s

    London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is backing a ban on under-16s from social media as the only realistic way to address harms children face online, and warned that the manosphere's growing influence risks creating a "lost generation of young men." The position puts him ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has promised action on children's online safety but has not committed to an outright ban.

    2 June 2026 · Joy Online

Monday 1 June

  1. Ghana's online political talk shifts to performance over personalities

    An IMANI-PULSE analysis of 10,000 mentions across digital platforms in May 2026 found that Ghanaians' political conversations are increasingly focused on governance outcomes, policy delivery, and accountability rather than political personalities, with policy discussions accounting for 78.2% of classified conversations and an almost neutral overall sentiment score.

    1 June 2026 · Joy Online

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