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YouTube has introduced new safety features for teen users, including additional third-party resources to promote safer and more mindful online viewing.

Firstly, f, YouTube has collaborated with the American Psychological Association (APS) on the release of a new parents guide, which includes “evidence-based recommendations to support teens’ healthy video-viewing habits.”

The new guide, informed by hundreds of studies, offers key recommendations for minimizing the risks of online content exposure.

As per the APA: “The APA developed this evidence-based guide to help parents navigate the complex world of teen video viewing. Drawing on decades of psychological research, we examine how video content affects adolescent development, mental health, and well-being.”

The guide features specialized sections, emphasizing digital literacy and healthy viewing habits.

Across the ocean of connectivity , the screen has become a social mainstay , often as crucial as face – to – face conversations . difficult , as screen time has become an essential social element , often just as important as in – person interactions . This metamorphosis is radically different from the experiences of most parents , which makes books like this essential for guiding children through the ocean of cyber risks .​​​​​​

from what many parents experienced growing up , making research – based guides like this one useful in assisting children in managing online risks . YouTube also revealed that APA plans to launch a series of videos in the coming weeks, providing practical tips for implementing these suggestions.

also announced that the APA plans to release a video series in the coming weeks , providing helpful tips for implementing these recommendations . Additionally , YouTube implemented new safety measures developed in conjunction with its Youth and Family Advisory Committee , a group of specialists in areas such as child development , digital media , mental health and online education .​Additionally, YouTube has launched innovative precautions designed in collaboration with its Youth and Family Advisory Committee, a team of experts in child development , digital entertainment , mental health and online learning .

YouTube’s newest updates, informed by the committee’s recommendations, include:

New Regulations Imposing Restrictions on Repeated Exposure to Specific Substances:
Last year , YouTube restricted content related to body image and social aggression to prevent potential negative impacts on teens . These restrictions are now being expanded to include financial advice , videos depicting crimes , and content showing teens engaged in brutal gambling .​​​​​

Optimized Reminders for Taking a Well-Deserved Break:
To encourage the development of healthy habits related to screen usage, YouTube is enhancing the prominence of its “Take a Break” notifications by showcasing them prominently in full-screen mode specifically designed for teenagers. By default, these reminders will be automatically enabled for users who are under 18 years of age, and they will appear on the screen every 60 minutes. In addition to that, it is worth mentioning that a default bedtime reminder is set for 10 PM, nevertheless, users have the option to personalize and adjust these configurations according to their preferences and needs.

Parental insights can be gleaned by reviewing the version history of a document or project. This process allows parents to track the evolution and development of the content over time, providing valuable context and understanding of the changes made throughout the editing process. By examining the various iterations and modifications, parents can gain a deeper appreciation for the thought and effort that went into creating the final product. This comprehensive approach to analyzing the version history offers a unique
YouTube is rolling out a new feature to its Family Center for a supervised experience , providing parents with email notifications about the content their child is viewing . These electronic mail messages also include valuable resources designed to facilitate and support constructive dialogues between parents and adolescents regarding the responsible utilization of digital content .

These updates are in accordance with the most recent studies on the well-being of teenagers, offering parents a wider range of resources to guarantee a secure and positive online environment for their children.

In the year 2025, content creators are becoming more and more outspoken about their political opinions, which poses significant challenges for brands as they navigate the realm of influencer marketing while striving to avoid any potential controversies.

2025 , content creators are becoming more vocal about their political views , creating challenges for brands to manage influencer marketing without controversy . Political discussions that take place on the internet have been a longstanding phenomenon, yet the significant disruptions that unfolded throughout the year 2024 and the initial months of 2025 have served as a catalyst for an increased number of content creators—particularly within the realm of gaming—to express their viewpoints and engage in discourse. politics online are not new , but the turmoil of 2024 and early 2025 has encouraged more creators — mostly in the tech sector — to speak out . Last week, the popular content creator known as Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa faced significant criticism and public outrage following the circulation of a video clip in which she was seen making derogatory remarks towards members of the LGBTQ community who advocate for their rights and equality. streamer Kaitlyn “ Amouranth ” Siragusa sparked controversy following a viral video that showed her humiliating LGBTQ activists . Her team, at this moment, has chosen not to provide any comments or statements regarding the matter.

Siragusa Siragusa’s comments are indicative of a more widespread pattern that has been emerging in recent times. of a broader trend . Over the course of the previous year, FaZe Clan publicly supported Donald Trump, whereas prominent streamers in the gaming community such as Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt and Steven “Destiny” Bonnell have progressively transitioned towards creating political content, engaging in in-depth conversations regarding the United States election and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. “ Asmongold ” Hoyt and Steven “ Destiny ” Bonnell have often moved into political content , including discussions about the US election and the war in Gaza . (Hoyt and Bonnell did not respond to multiple comment requests from various media outlets.)

The audiences appear to be quite open and accepting of this change in direction. In January. January. The 2025 study by A survey conducted in 2025 by the influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy revealed that a majority, specifically 52%, of consumers in the United States expressed their support for content creators engaging in discussions related to politics.

“The exponential growth of social media platforms in recent years has significantly heightened the demand for genuine content creators, thereby complicating the search for individuals who remain entirely detached from political discourse,” remarked Sami Barnett, a seasoned professional holding the esteemed position of senior director overseeing the gaming division at TMA. it difficult to find completely apolitical creators , ” said Sami Barnett , senior director of gaming at TMA . “ Rather Instead of completely avoiding politics, we choose to refrain from engaging with content creators whose entire online presence is centered around political topics.

we distance ourselves from creators whose platforms are built on it .” Despite Despite facing these challenges, influencer marketing is continuing to thrive and grow exponentially. is thriving . According to the latest data from HubSpot, a leading marketing research firm, a significant 75% of brands made the strategic decision to boost their financial investments during the year 2024. Additionally, eMarketer, a renowned authority in forecasting market trends, anticipates that the lucrative U.S. influencer marketing sector is poised to reach an impressive $9.29 billion by the conclusion of the calendar year 2025.

eMarketer anticipates that influencer marketing in the US will reach $ 9.29 billion by the end of 2025. Nevertheless, for well-established brands with a strong reputation, collaborating with influencers who are known for being vocal about political issues can still pose a potential risk to their image and public perception. influencers with strong political stances remain risky . Most choose to avoid controversy , making it difficult to find potential collaborators , according to three executives .The majority of individuals tend to steer clear of contentious issues, which can complicate the process of identifying compatible collaborators, as highlighted by insights shared by three senior executives from leading agencies in a recent interview conducted by Digiday. As more and more creators decide to openly engage with political issues, the pool of influencers available for brand campaigns is gradually diminishing.

“It’s been a lot more difficult to find brand-safe influencers now than it was even just two years ago,” said Dario Raciti, managing director of Omnicom’s gaming and esports group Zero Code. “Some of those influencers feel free now to speak up more often than they used to in the past. People like them because they are very true to themselves, but with that also comes a risk that some brands just don’t want to take.”

“My revenue after that for ads dropped off by half,” said Twitch streamer Kruzadar, who requested to keep her real name private to protect her personal information. “That’s a loss of two or three grand a month.”

A new search feature codenamed “AI Mode” is supposedly being tested out by Google.

It would appear that this tool provides a new way to search by letting users ask more exploratory and open-ended queries, with the option to follow up.

How does AI Mode work?

Leaked email received by 9to5Google describes AI Mode as a tool that “intelligently researches for you—organizing information into easy-to-digest summaries with links to explore content across the web.”

This function is created to manage inquiries that conventional Google Search results may not well handle, including questions requiring assistance, comparisons, or back-and-forth conversation.

Reports indicate that AI Mode utilizes the technologies of Gemini 2.0.

AI Mode might potentially be incorporated into Google Search apps and possibly even straight into Google Search itself. This could alter the way visitors engage with search results and impact the chances of them visiting your website.

In public spaces such as museums and retail stores, AI machines are engaging with humans by performing tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and conversing, thereby emerging from the shadows of factories and warehouses. This transformation is driven by a surge in funding and advancements in their capabilities, with the AI robotics and drone industry securing $12.8 billion in venture capital in 2024, surpassing the $11.6 billion raised in 2023. Experts anticipate that Generative AI will redefine the potential of these next-generation machines, enabling them to plan and adapt to real-world scenarios, despite the fact that they continue to encounter obstacles in establishing stable interactions. This innovation not only expands the application of robotics beyond industrial settings but also improves their usability in daily life, thereby introducing a new era of human-robot collaboration.

Ancient text analysis is being transformed by AI

From producing code and material at a professional level to making movies and photographs of exceptional quality, generative AI has opened up incredible new possibilities. In 2025, the spotlight shifts to visual effects (VFX), as TransPixarAI propels a revolutionary change in the industry. Adobe Research is leading this breakthrough in collaboration with HKUST (the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology). Revolutionizing transparency effects in visual effects, this state-of-the-art AI technology paves the way for a new age of limitless creativity by making it easier than ever to create photorealistic graphics.

What is TransPixar Artificial Intelligence?

Traditional AI video production systems excel at providing solid pictures, but they frequently fail to create translucent features such as fog, reflections, and ethereal effects. TransPixar overcomes this issue by using RGBA, which stands for Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha. TransPixar AI’s use of alpha channels allows for the seamless integration of transparent elements into any scene, allowing you to create the graphics you want.

“Alpha channels are crucial for visual effects, allowing transparent elements like smoke and reflections to blend seamlessly into scenes.” – Yijun Li, Project leader, Adobe Research.

This innovation solves a long-standing problem in visual effects: the intensive manual work required to create realistic transparent effects. TransPixar’s AI-driven capacity to generate these elements is a huge step forward technically and a time-saving game-changer. Its applications extend well beyond the realm of traditional film and video production, providing tremendous value to video games, AR, and live productions. With TransPixar, transparent effects can be generated in real-time, doing away with the need for hours or even days of rendering.

How Is It Operated?

To provide transparency effects without compromising the clarity of RGB visuals, TransPixar uses new tokens for alpha channel creation in conjunction with LoRA-based fine-tuning. Even with little training data, the system is able to produce outstanding transparent effects thanks to its dual-focus design.

“We reinitialize positional embeddings for alpha tokens and project them into the qkv space while preserving RGB quality.” – Luozhou Wang, lead researcher at HKUST.

Ancient text analysis is being transformed by AI

AI is on the brink of revolutionizing our comprehension of the ancient world, as it is currently being employed to decode ancient texts. AI is beginning to decode lost languages where barely any traces survive and fill in absent or unreadable characters, ranging from classical Greek and Latin to China’s Oracle Bone Script. The results have unleashed a torrent of new texts, offering scholars access to a greater volume of data than they have had in centuries. Scholars assert that their pattern-recognition capabilities will fundamentally alter the types of questions being posed, in addition to reshaping the study of ancient texts from the pursuit of answers. In fact, a recent test of an AI model named Ithaca restored voids in ancient texts with 62% accuracy, compared to human experts’ 25%. This suggests that we may be on the brink of unlocking vast troves of previously indecipherable historical knowledge.

The Conundrum of One Hundred Billion Dollars: Who owns the rights to the works of artificial intelligence?

Investors are being urged by legal experts to look beyond the scientific gains that artificial intelligence has made and to carefully scrutinize the policies that govern these innovations, which are constantly evolving. The contemporary environment of artificial intelligence is fraught with uncertainty due to the fact that entities such as individual artists, Getty Images, and The New York Times are challenging AI businesses about the utilization of intellectual resources in the training of models. If the courts decide in favor of copyright holders, artificial intelligence companies may be forced to deal with huge cost hikes, which might endanger their profit margins and valuations. In addition, there are a lot of problems that involve intellectual property rights. For example, can novels that are generated by AI be protected by copyright, and can discoveries that are driven by AI be patented? The outcome of these legal battles has the potential to reshape the trajectory of the sector and be the determining factor in determining which players will dominate the field in the years coming.