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TikTok's executives and employees were well aware that its features foster compulsive use of the app, as well as of its corresponding negative mental health effects, according to NPR. The broadcasting organization reviewed the unredacted documents from the lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Attorney General's Office as published by the Kentucky Public Radio. More than a dozen states sued TikTok a few days ago, accusing it of "falsely claiming [that it's] safe for young people." Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said the app was "specifically designed to be an addiction machine, targeting children who are still in the process of developing appropriate self-control." Most of the documents submitted for the lawsuits had redacted information, but Kentucky's had faulty redactions. Apparently, TikTok's own research found that "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's executives also knew that compulsive use can interfere with sleep, work and school responsibilities, and even "connecting with loved ones." They reportedly knew, as well, that the app's time-management tool barely helps in keeping young users away from the app. While the tool sets the default limit for app use to 60 minutes a day, teens were still spending 107 minutes on the app even when it's switched on. That's only 1.5 minutes shorter than the average use of 108.5 minutes a day before the tool was launched. Based on the internal documents, TikTok based the success of the tool on how it "improv[ed] public trust in the TikTok platform via media coverage." The company knew the tool wasn't going to be effective, with one document saying that "[m]inors do not have executive function to control their screen time, while young adults do." Another document reportedly said that "across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance." In addition, TikTok reportedly knows that "filter bubbles" exist and understands how they could potentially be dangerous. Employees conducted internal studies, according to the documents, wherein they found themselves sucked into negative filter bubbles shortly after following certain accounts, such as those focusing on painful ("painhub") and sad ("sadnotes") content. They're also aware of content and accounts promoting "thinspiration," which is associated with disordered eating. Due to the way TikTok's algorithm works, its researchers found that users are placed into filter bubbles after 30 minutes of use in one sitting. TikTok is struggling with moderation, as well, according to the documents. An internal investigation found that underage girls on the app were getting "gifts" and "coins" in exchange for live stripping. And higher-ups in the company reportedly instructed their moderators not to remove users reported to be under 13 years old unless their accounts state that they indeed are under 13. NPR says TikTok also acknowledged that a substantial number of content violating its rules get through its moderation techniques, including videos that normalize pedophilia, glorify minor sexual assault and physical abuse. TikTok spokesman Alex Haurek defended the company and told the organization that the Kentucky AG's complaint "cherry-picks misleading quotes and takes outdated documents out of context to misrepresent our commitment to community safety." He also said that TikTok has "robust safeguards, which include proactively removing suspected underage users" and that it has "voluntarily launched safety features such as default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-is-reportedly-aware-of-its-bad-effects-on-teen-users-150030241.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
In a message to employees, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg has announced that the company is reducing the size of its total workforce by 10 percent. That means Boeing is cutting roughly 17,000 jobs, including executives and managers, over the coming months. Ortberg, who only took the helm back in August, explained that the company has to "make structural changes" to ensure it can "stay competitive" and deliver for its customers over the long term. Ortberg announced the upcoming layoffs in the midst of a machinist strike that had shut down production in most of Boeing's plants, including the ones manufacturing its best-selling plane, the 737 Max. Around 33,000 union machinists are involved in the strike, which has been going on since mid-September. As AP explains, that's had a big impact on Boeing's pockets, since it gets paid for half of what a plane costs after it delivers a customer's order. In addition to the layoffs, Ortberg announced that Boeing will delay the development of its 777X planes due to the challenges it has faced in development, along with the ongoing work stoppage. It now plans to deliver the new wide-body planes in 2026 instead of 2025. Boeing started 2024 having to ground some 737 Max 9 planes after an Alaska Airlines door plug blew off while it's mid-flight. While there were no reported injuries, the Boeing plane had only been in service since November last year. In July, the company had agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to defraud the US government following two fatal crashed in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. Boeing had also eaten hundreds of millions in losses as a result of Starliner's delayed return from the International Space Station. The company's first crewed flight was only supposed to last a few days, but hardware issues prevented it from sticking to the original timeline. In the end, the Starliner returned to Earth months later, without the astronauts it originally flew to the space station. Its crew will now come home on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February next year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/boeing-to-lay-off-17000-employees-to-stay-competitive-110033175.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Apple of infringing on its employees rights to advocate for better working conditions. In a complaint spotted by Reuters, the agency alleges Apple illegally fired an employee who had used Slack to advocate for workplace changes at the company. Separately, the NLRB accuses Apple of forcing another worker to delete a social media post. The case stems from a 2021 complaint filed by #AppleToo co-organizer Janneke Parrish. In October of that year, Apple fired Parrish for allegedly sharing confidential information, a claim she denies. Per the complaint, Parrish used Slack and public social media posts to advocate for permanent remote work. She also shared open letters critical of the tech giant, distributed a pay equity survey, and recounted instances of sexual and racial discrimination at Apple. According to the labor board, Apples policies bars employees from creating Slack channels without first obtaining permission from a manager. Instead, workers must direct their workplace concerns to either management or a People Support group the company maintains. An example of the type of concerns some employees used Slack to voice can be seen in a 2021 tweet from former Apple employee Ashley Gjvik. We look forward to holding Apple accountable at trial for implementing facially unlawful rules and terminating employees for engaging in the core protected activity of calling out gender discrimination and other civil rights violations that permeated the workplace, Parrishs lawyer, Laurie Burgess, told Reuters. Apple did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request. Provided Apple does not settle with the agency, an initial hearing is scheduled for February with an administrative judge. The NLRB is looking to force the company to change its policy and reimburse Parrish for the financial hardships she suffered due to her firing. Last week, the NLRB accused Apple of forcing employees to sign illegal and overly broad confidentially, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nlrb-accuses-apple-of-illegally-restricting-employee-slack-and-social-media-use-200059723.html?src=rss
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