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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to introduce legislation that would prevent children under a certain age from using social media. Reuters reported that Albanese issued his statement in a TV interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC). Albanese says the Australian government would start its social media initiative by testing age verification technology sometime this year. He also didnt state a specific age limit but estimated hed like the ban to be for children younger than 14-16 because we know that social media is causing social harm. Meta issued a statement in response to the PMs proposal noting that Facebook and Instagram already have a minimum age requirement of 13 years for users. The social media company also noted it wants to empower young people to benefit from social media with parental controls and monitoring instead of just cutting off access. Lawmakers in the US and other countries have suggested and tried to implement a federal age limit on social media access. Last year, US Senator Josh Hawley introduced two bills to Congress that would prohibit teenagers under 16 from using social media. The state of Utah also passed laws in 2023 requiring teens to have parental consent and provide a copy of an ID instead of just inputting their birthday to access their accounts. The following year, Utah repealed the ID requirements. Social media use has become a greater health issue as experts raise concerns about its effects on younger users mental well being. An open letter signed by 42 US attorneys general supported US Surgeon General Vivek Murthys proposal to require social media websites to post visible health warnings the way that cigarette makers are required to do so on their products packaging.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/australias-prime-minister-wants-to-ban-social-media-for-children-212139064.html?src=rss
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The Xbox Game Pass Standard plan is available starting today. Microsoft announced a revamp to its Game Pass subscription plans in July, introducing the Standard option alongside a price increase for the Ultimate tier. The Standard plan costs $15 a month, while Ultimate will run you $20 a month. The Standard subscription tier will offer the essential features of the Game Pass program: online multiplayer gaming, access to a large library of games, and discounts on select game purchases. The big difference between Standard and Ultimate is that Standard plan members will not be able to play some blockbuster releases, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on day one. The wait time on Standard varies by title, but can last up to or longer than 12 months. Ultimate plans also include membership to EA Play and access to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Xbox has been struggling to compete with PlayStation in this console generation. That's partially due to hardware differences: Microsoft offered an underwhelming refresh to its console lineup this summer whereas Sony managed to build lots of hype for the announcement of its expensive new PS5 Pro. But the Game Pass plan has also been struggling to generate continued revenue for Microsoft, with just 34 million subscribers reported in February.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-standard-is-now-available-on-xbox-202451946.html?src=rss
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As I write this, Im listening to tunes on my 2020-vintage AirPods Max. Yes, that makes me a bit of an Apple fanboy, and we currently recommend at least six pairs of headphones over them. But for me, they still sound outstanding, have great active noise cancellation and work well with my most-used devices. They also are missing a few features compared to the second-generation AirPods Pro that came out in 2022. That doesnt bother me, given that theyre almost four years old but the idea of spending the $550 that Apple is asking for the refreshed version of these headphones announced yesterday is ridiculous, even if it is a relief that they finally have USB-C. For context, Apple wasnt even expected to introduce an AirPods Max update at the iPhone 16 event but the day before, Apple prognosticator Mark Gurman at Bloomberg surprisingly said that the headphones would receive their first significant update. However, the update involved replacing the Lightning charging port with USB-C and some new colors. Thats it. Nothing to inspire an upgrade from Apple nutjobs like me (though I sorely wish my headphones did in fact have USB-C, now that Ive mostly moved away from Lightning devices). Im a fan of the new colors and would love to switch to USB-C, but not enough to spend $550 or even half that to be honest. On the other hand, Sony has updated its flagship headphones regularly, with the WH-1000XM3 arriving in 2018, the XM4 in 2020, the XM5 in 2022 and the XM6 expected in 2025. Most Sony users aren't going to upgrade from the XM4 to the XM5, or even a future XM6, as high-end headphones should last for years. But when you're buying a company's flagship headphones, you're getting the best product they could possibly make. Sony has made sure thats the case by refining the design, offering better battery life or improving ANC. Whats most frustrating about the AirPods Max update is that they had to do at least a modicum of internal redesign to drop in USB-C, so why not upgrade the chips to the H2 processors? The H1 varient inside the AirPods Max was first released in early 2019, as part of the second-generation AirPods. And now, all AirPods, including the just-announced $129 fourth-generation model, use that H2 processor. It enables useful improvements like adaptive audio, which essentially blurs the lines between traditional transparency and noise-canceling modes depending on the ambient sound around you. It also lets you nod or shake your head to respond to Siri rather than having to speak out loud. These features would certainly be welcome by potential AirPods Max buyers, but instead the incredibly expensive headphones are stuck with a five-year-old chip for the foreseeable future. I cant get over how silly that is considering the fact that entry-level AirPods are getting some of the benefits of the H2 processor. Of course, the AirPods Max have speaker quality and tuning that far exceeds what youll get from a $129 pair of earbuds. But as Apples top-tier headphone (in cost, if not features), theyre a tough sell given theyre missing features you can get on the AirPods 4 with ANC for a third of the price. Catch up on all the news from Apples iPhone 16 event! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/why-are-apples-airpods-max-still-saddled-with-2020-hardware-200506426.html?src=rss
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