Connect with us

Published

on

Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images

Kids and teens under 18 years old in Louisiana may soon need their parents’ permission to sign up for online accounts, including for social media, gaming and more, under a newly passed bill in the state.

The measure, which still needs to be signed by the state’s governor to take effect, follows a trend of laws in conservative states such as Utah and Arkansas that seek to limit adolescents’ unrestricted access to social media. Liberal states such as California as well as some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have also been working on new regulations to protect kids from some of the harmful effects of social media.

related investing news

Meta vs. TikTok: How they're each using AI to attract advertisers and which one is winning

CNBC Investing Club

While protecting kids on the internet is a value shared across the board, tech companies and many civil society groups that oppose the industry in other matters have warned such legislation ignores the positive effects social media can have, particularly for marginalized youth. They also warn new restrictions could have unintended harmful effects on kids, such as limiting the resources they have to turn to for help out of a negative home life and forcing tech platforms to collect more information on both kids and adults to ensure compliance based on age.

Still, the unanimous vote in both chambers of the Louisiana state legislature underscores the popularity of legislation aimed at protecting kids from online harms.

The bill would also clarify agreements minors made when they signed up for existing accounts can be rendered null. The state code already says parents or legal guardians can rescind contracts their kids sign up for.

NetChoice, a group that represents internet platforms including Amazon, Google, Meta and TikTok, said it opposes the Louisiana bill and hopes the governor will veto it. NetChoice is currently suing the state of California for its Age-Appropriate Design Code that has similar aims to protect kids from online harms, due to alleged First Amendment issues. NetChoice Vice President and General Counsel Carl Szabo said in a statement that the Louisiana bill would also violate the First Amendment.

“It will decimate anonymous browsing and gaming — requiring citizens to hand over data to prove their identity and age just to use an online service. Anonymity can be important for individuals using social media services for things like whistleblowers, victims, and those identifying crime in the neighborhood who fear backlash,” Szabo said. “What’s worse is that it fails to really address the underlying issues. Instead, Louisiana policymakers could actually help teens and parents by following the educational approaches of Virginia and Florida.”

The office of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the bill. If he chooses to sign it, it will take effect in August 2024.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

WATCH: Sen. Blackburn says safety should come first on social media ‘children have lost their lives’

Sen. Blackburn says safety should come first on social media 'children have lost their lives'

Continue Reading

Technology

Figma’s stock sinks more than 20% after last week’s IPO pop

Published

on

By

Figma's stock sinks more than 20% after last week's IPO pop

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, appears on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 31, 2025.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Figma shares dropped 23% on Monday, cutting into the gains the design software company posted after hitting the market last week.

The stock dropped $27.50 to $94.50 as of midday. That’s down from a close of $122 on Friday.

Figma and top stockholders sold about 37 million shares at $33 per share late Wednesday, yielding around $412 million in proceeds flowing to the company. On Thursday, its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the stock more than tripled.

The initial reception shows a renewed appetite on Wall Street for high-growth technology companies after a historically slow stretch for initial public offerings.

Figma said in an updated IPO prospectus that it expects second-quarter revenue to increase about 40% from a year earlier. But unlike many technology companies that have gone public over the past several years, Figma has regularly posted profits.

Figma’s fully diluted valuation sits at approximately $56 billion, almost triple the amount Adobe agreed to pay in its 2022 acquisition offer. Regulators in the European Union and the U.K. opposed the deal, which the two companies called off in late 2023.

Dylan Field, Figma’s 33-year-old CEO, owns stock in the company worth more than $5 billion even after Monday’s slide.

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO

Figma more than triples in NYSE debut after selling shares at $33

Continue Reading

Technology

Amazon lays off over 100 employees in Wondery unit as part of audio business restructuring

Published

on

By

Amazon lays off over 100 employees in Wondery unit as part of audio business restructuring

The logo for Wondery is displayed on a smartphone in an arranged photograph taken in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Amazon is laying off roughly 110 employees in its Wondery podcast division and the head of the group is leaving as part of a broader reshuffling of the company’s audio unit.

In a Monday note to staffers, Steve Boom, Amazon’s vice president of audio, Twitch and games, said the company is consolidating some Wondery units under its Audible audiobook and podcasting division. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent is also stepping down from her role, Boom said.

“These changes will not only better align our teams as they work to take advantage of the strategic opportunities ahead but, even more crucially, will ensure we have the right structure in place to deliver the very best experience to creators, customers and advertisers,” Boom wrote in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. “Unfortunately, these changes also include some role reductions, and we have notified those employees this morning.”

Bloomberg was first to report on the job cuts.

The move comes nearly five years after Amazon acquired Wondery as part of a push to expand its catalog of original audio content. The podcasting company made a name for itself with hit shows like “Dirty John” and “Dr. Death.”

More recently, Wondery signed several lucrative licensing deals with Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, along with Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert.”

Amazon is streamlining “how Wondery further integrates” into the company by separating the teams that oversee its narrative podcasts from those developing “creator-led shows,” Boom wrote.

The narrative podcasting unit will consolidate under Audible, and creator-led content will move to a new unit within Boom’s organization in Amazon called “creator services,” he wrote.

Amazon’s audio pursuits face a heightened challenge from the growing popularity of video podcasts on Alphabet‘s YouTube, which now hosts an increasing number of shows.

Video shows require different discovery, growth and monetization strategies than “audio-first, narrative series,” Boom wrote in the memo to Amazon staffers.

“The podcast landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years,” Boom said.

WATCH: YouTube will surprise to upside for Alphabet

YouTube will surprise to the upside for Alphabet's earnings, says Tim Seymour

Continue Reading

Technology

Baidu plans to expand its robotaxis to Europe with Lyft deal

Published

on

By

Baidu plans to expand its robotaxis to Europe with Lyft deal

Cheng Xin | Getty Images

Baidu will bring its driverless taxis to Europe next year via a partnership with U.S. ridehailing firm Lyft, as the Chinese tech giant looks to expand its autonomous vehicles globally.

The robotaxis will initially be deployed in the U.K. and Germany from 2026 with the aim to have “thousands” of vehicles across Europe in the “following years,” the two companies said.

Lyft has had very little presence in Europe until last week when it closed the acquisition of Germany-based ride hailing company FreeNow, which is available in over 150 cities across nine countries, including Ireland, the U.K., Germany and France.

Deployment of the autonomous cars is “pending regulatory approval,” Lyft and Baidu said in a Monday statement. It’s unclear if Lyft will offer Baidu’s robotaxis via the FreeNow app or another product.

The partnership marks a continued push from Baidu to expand its robotaxis to international markets.

Last month, Baidu partnered with Uber to deploy its autonomous cars on the ride-hailing giant’s platform outside the U.S. and mainland China, with a focus on the Middle East and Asia, which will launch later this year. The partnership also covers Europe, though a launch date for the region has not yet been disclosed.

In China, Baidu has been operating its own robotaxi service since 2021 in major cities like Beijing, allowing users to hail an Apollo Go car through the app. Meanwhile, for Lyft, the deal could boost the firm’s presence in the region as it looks to take on rivals like Uber and Bolt.

Autonomous vehicles have become a big focus for ride-hailing companies which have looked to partner with companies that are developing the technology for driverless cars.

In the U.K., a market that Lyft is targeting, Uber this year partnered with self-driving car technology firm Wayve to launch trials of fully autonomous rides starting in spring 2026.

Continue Reading

Trending