… In June, the government announced plans to prevent under-16s from accessing major platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and X, with the measures expected to come into force in spring 2027.
Meta Platforms said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over accusations the company designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misled the public about their safety. …
… Across platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, users are captioning posts with ‘Gota’ to express that they are out, having fun or ready for a good time. …
… He highlighted that this approach in advanced education systems explains why many global technology and innovation companies originate there. “That is why companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook come from America, because of the way they are taught. …
A federal judge rejected Meta Platforms’ bid to dismiss a lawsuit by 29 U.S. state attorneys general accusing it of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and knowingly concealing the harm from the public. …
… For creators, small businesses, and organisations that want to maintain a consistent online presence, WhatsApp has reserved an option to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username. …
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.