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TikTok currently faces lawsuits from 14 states alleging the platform damages young users' mental health and they're not the only ones who think it. It turns out that Apple apparently privately pressed TikTok to raise its age recommendations from 12 and over to 17 and over, The Washington Post reports. The comments from Apple showed up in South Carolina's compliant against TikTok and were supposed to be redacted but, oops, they were accidentally made public. Let's dive into what was said, shall we? In 2022, Apple had a team review TikTok's age rating and found the platform had "frequent or intense mature or suggestive content." Apple added, "We hope you will consider making the necessary changes to follow the App Store Review Guidelines and will resubmit." We don't know all the details of what Apple requested as only some of the redacted content was made public. Yet, there's plenty of evidence in these momentarily not-redacted documents about TikTok being not so age appropriate. In fact, outsiders and TikTok's own employees found issue with what the company did to reduce content like profanity and eating disorders. The former was found in one out of every 50 pop-up alerts that minors in the US and UK received within a month's time. Advocacy group Accountable Tech found the inadvertently public information and shared it with The Post. The accidentally public bits of South Carolina's complaint further claimed TikTok sought to "leverage goodwill in lobbying efforts" by donating to organizations like parent-teacher associations. The company also sponsored events for politicians, like an event for the foundation of South Carolina Democratic Representative James E. Clyburn, the former House majority whip. For the record, Clyburn joined the minority in voting against TikTok being sold or banned in the US. Unsurprisingly, TikTok wasn't so happy about having this information made public (it's all back behind black marks now). TikTok spokesperson Alex Haurek called publishing the redacted information irresponsible, claimed "many of these issues have already been addressed" and stated that the company has always enforced strict policies against nudity, sexually explicit content, and solicitation." South Carolina isn't the only state that's lawsuit had a revealing redaction mistake. Kentucky's accidentally public documents revealed that TikTok had reportedly found "compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety." TikTok also reportedly knew its time limit tool wouldn't be effective for minors (average daily use decreased by one minute and a half after implementation). Then there was another document which allegedly said "across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance." Don't you just love when companies have its users' best interests in mind? This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-urged-tiktok-to-increase-its-age-recommendations-redacted-documents-show-131501139.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Nintendo has launched its own music streaming service that caters to fans of its games, including Mario and Animal Crossing. Fans will be able to listen to their favorite game tracks on their phones through the new Nintendo Music app, which has a user interface that pretty much looks like Spotify. The tracks are organized by game, so people can play the whole OST for specific titles if they want, but they can also listen to character playlists like a selection of songs performed by Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider. If they're in the mood for certain songs, they can hit up one of the pre-made themed playlists, which put together tracks for themes like "boss battle" and "victory." The app offers mood playlists, as well, that groups tracks with similar vibes, such as soft, relaxing songs for bedtime listening. One feature that's probably unique to the service is spoiler prevention. If the listener adds a certain game to the setting, the app will hide the soundtracks that could give away a surprise ending or an unexpected final boss, among other potential spoilers. They can also extend a single track and keep it playing on repeat for up to an hour if that's all they want to listen to. Fans can access the new Nintendo Music service with a Switch Online membership, though they can start listening to game tracks even if they're still on free trial. Every member on a Switch Online Family membership can also access it, so they don't need to pay for an individual subscription. Nintendo Music, a new smart-device app exclusively for #NintendoSwitchOnline members, lets you stream or download music from Nintendos library of soundtracks! Nintendo Music will be released later today! Learn more: https://t.co/X5uL1ThupO pic.twitter.com/2NOu7k22zf Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 30, 2024 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/nintendo-music-is-a-streaming-service-for-switch-online-subscribers-130035796.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Ford will start shipping its new Tesla Supercharger NACS adapter to customers today after recalling the previous model, the company told Engadget in an email. The new adapters were co-developed with Lectron, a major manufacturer of EV chargers, adapters and cables for Tesla and others. Ford drivers gained access to Tesla Superchargers earlier this year, but the CCS charging port on Ford EVs isn't compatible with Tesla's NACS port. To fix that, the automaker offered a free NACS adapter to owners of its Mach E, F-150 Lightning and other vehicles, with a deadline of June 2024. Earlier this month, however, Ford sent a service bulletin to customers telling them to stop using the adapter. The reason cited was a "potential issue" that could reduce charging speeds and even cause charging port damage. Ford extended its deadline and promised a replacement adapter in the coming weeks. Ford In a letter announcing the new complimentary adapters, Ford didn't mention the problem with the older ones it recalled. "To continue accelerating access to the Tesla Supercharger Network for Ford electric vehicle customers, Ford will start shipping a new Ford-branded complimentary adapter to customers as of October 31," a company spokesperson wrote. "Customers who are awaiting a complimentary adapter may receive the new Ford-branded Fast Charging Adapter or the existing approved adapter." Other automakers including Nissan, GM and Subaru have also signed pacts with Tesla to use its Superchargers. Tesla's network represents a large majority of DC fast chargers in the US, with 19,000 installed compared to 15,000 from all other operators. Globally, Tesla has installed over 62,000 supercharger connectors as of Q3 2024, up 23 percent over last year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/fords-free-replacement-for-its-telsa-supercharger-adapter-starts-shipping-today-130010480.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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