How the Facebook babies became the TikTok teens

As Facebook turns 20, the babies who once pervaded its news feed barely use the platform now.
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Updated 02 February 2024
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How the Facebook babies became the TikTok teens

  • As Facebook turns 20, so are many of the toddlers who pervaded its news feed

DUBAI: “My parents like photography and when the digital age came, they shifted from photobooks to Facebook,” 23-year-old Dubai resident Alexandra Morata told Arab News.

Morata, like many her age and younger, grew up to find out that their parents had been posting pictures of them — including of their awkward teenage years — on Facebook.

The phenomenon was so common that there is a term for it: sharenting.

A paper written by child development experts defines sharenting as “the practice of parents, caregivers or relatives sharing information about their children (underage) online, typically on some online platforms.”

A massive 80 percent of children had an online presence before they were 2 years old, according to a 2010 study by online security firm AVG.

The presence of baby pictures on the news feed was seemingly so pervasive that in 2013 a browser extension called UnBaby.me was created to auto-detect baby images and replace them with others, including of cats.

As Facebook turns 20, the babies who once pervaded its news feed barely use the platform now.

Teenagers spent nearly two hours on TikTok every day, compared to just one minute on Facebook and 16 minutes on Instagram, according to a 2022 study.

Morata and Aily Prasetyo, 24, both said they have shifted to other platforms like Instagram and TikTok partly due to their friends not being on Facebook anymore, and also because “Facebook was so populated with … old people,” said Prasetyo.

“Facebook is a platform for millennials and baby boomers while TikTok is more for a younger audience and is known for its emphasis on authentic videos rather than ones that are overly sales oriented,” Nimrah Khan, founder of digital marketing agency Kollab Digital, told Arab News.

Those considered Generation Z are overwhelmingly embracing TikTok. It was the top platform of choice for Gen Zs overtaking YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, according to a study last year by research firm YPulse.

Globally, seven of the top 10 countries for TikTok, by reach, are in the Middle East North Africa region, according to “Social Media in the Middle East 2022: A Year in Review” published by the University of Oregon-UNESCO Crossings Institute.

TikTok even overtook online giant Google in 2021 as the most popular website of the year, according to internet security company Cloudflare.

Khan has a warning though: “TikTok’s algorithmic recommendations can expose users, including teenagers, to inappropriate content or potential privacy risks based on their browsing history and interactions on the platform.”

Still, many youngsters remain open to sharing their lives online because they, in large part, understand the security risks of living a digital life.

Morata, for example, said that she does not have any privacy concerns around the pictures her parents shared of her childhood because they had private profiles. The conversations around online safety have made her more aware of the risks, and so, she is careful with her accounts, she added.

Social media “can be detrimental to mental health,” but it has become such a common topic of conversation that most older teens are aware of what is fake and what is not, especially as influencers have started becoming more authentic, said Prasetyo.

Despite that awareness, social media platforms can have dangerous effects on youngsters’ mental health.

Cam Barrett, who is now in her early twenties had her personal life — from bath photos to the fact that she was adopted — shared publicly on Facebook by her mother. It is a habit she inculcated too, sharing much of her life publicly, when she opened a Twitter account, she told The Atlantic.

But last year, Barrett was among the people who advocated for children’s internet privacy.

“Today is the first time that I’ve introduced myself with my legal name in three years because I’m terrified to share my name because the digital footprint I had no control over ... exists,” she said testifying in front of the Washington State House last year.

The testimony was to support a bill that aims to ensure that children who are heavily featured in influencers’ online content have a right to financial compensation for their work and to maintain their privacy.

“I know firsthand what it’s like to not have a choice in the digital footprint you didn’t create that follows you around for the rest of your life with no option for it to be removed,” Barrett said.

The bill is the brainchild of Chris McCarty, a student at the University of Washington, who was inspired by the 2020 case of Huxley Stauffer, a toddler with special needs adopted from China by family vloggers Myka and James Stauffer.

The couple made and monetized extensive content about Huxley and his adoption, before giving him up because they realized they were not equipped to take care of him.

In 2021, whistleblower and former product manager at Facebook, Frances Haugen, leaked thousands of internal documents detailing how the company knew its apps helped spread divisive content and harmed the mental health of some young users.

Top bosses from all major social media companies have been called on for answers by lawmakers around the world.

On Wednesday this week, CEOs from Meta, TikTok, and other companies were grilled by US lawmakers over the dangers that children and teens face using social media platforms.

“They’re responsible for many of the dangers our children face online,” said US Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, and chair of the committee, during his opening remarks.

He added: “Their design choices, their failures to adequately invest in trust and safety, their constant pursuit of engagement and profit over basic safety have all put our kids and grandkids at risk.”

The hearing marked TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s second appearance before the US Congress, since March 2023, when he was questioned about the growing influence of TikTok on young people’s mental health, among other concerns.

 


Saudi Arabia becoming international creator hub, says philanthropist Dylan Page

Updated 11 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia becoming international creator hub, says philanthropist Dylan Page

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is becoming an international hub especially for creators and influencers, social media news anchor and philanthropist Dylan Page said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Page told Arab News that he was looking forward to seeing Saudi Arabia’s next steps in the online space.

“I think their (Saudi Arabia) push to become much more international and bring lots of people in — I mean, signing Ronaldo alone was one of those things that got the entire world’s attention — I think it’s a huge opportunity to make it that international hub, especially for creators and influencers and stuff like that,” he said.

With more than 15 million followers across social media platforms, Page’s content focuses on news, humanitarian projects and pop culture.

Page, also known as TikTok’s “News Daddy,” started off as a janitor, but decided to follow his passion and pursue content creation full time.

Accumulating billions of views, Page grew his account in just 4 years and his life took a turn as he became one of the most followed news accounts on social media.

Ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Page said he was looking forward to taking a tour of the Kingdom and hoped to visit the construction zone of The Line.

“This is what the world needs. We need to be able to look forward and have some inspiration again. Like Elon Musk always says, you know, we can’t just be focusing on the problems. You also need something to look forward to,” he added.

“Saudi Arabia, a lot of countries in the Middle East, are really pushing that. They’re the ones that are really bringing the inspiration. Like, what can we do in the future?”

Page is involved in substantial humanitarian work and advocacy. He collaborates with Share The Meal, a UN World Food Programme project that aims to end world hunger.

Share The Meal is raising funds for projects in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere.

“At the start, it was one of those (projects) where we didn’t know much about it. So, we looked into it and we thought it was just going to be, like, working together one time to start off with. And then we kept on reaching out,” he said.

Page said he had been working with the scheme for two years. He plans to launch in-person projects to help raise more funds and be more involved.

The philanthropist will also be working on a new Ramadan campaign in collaboration with Share The Meal, his third such partnership with the UN project.


BBC announces new West Bank documentary with journalist Louis Theroux

Updated 10 February 2025
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BBC announces new West Bank documentary with journalist Louis Theroux

  • ‘Louis Theroux: The Settlers’ examines Israeli settlements in the aftermath of Oct. 7

LONDON: The BBC announced on Monday that journalist Louis Theroux is to produce a new documentary examining Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The investigative journalist is to travel to the region to meet members of the growing ultra-nationalist settler community.

Theroux previously covered the topic in his 2010 documentary “Ultra Zionists,” which explored life in the contested territory. His new documentary, “Louis Theroux: The Settlers,” will revisit the issue in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Theroux said: “(Since 2010) those same extreme settlers are even more emboldened.

“I’m interested in ideologues and fundamentalists of all stripes. In going back to the West Bank I wanted to see settler expansionism up close, and the human cost it entails.”

The BBC said Theroux will “embed himself in the West Bank,” meeting prominent settlers and traveling through the territory in his signature style.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, yet have long been protected by the Israeli security forces.

Since the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 250 taken hostage, settler violence against Palestinian communities has escalated, with reports of forced expulsions and land seizures.

US President Donald Trump recently revoked an executive order issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden, that sanctioned far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of violence against Palestinians.

Experts warn that the move could embolden settler aggression and further undermine prospects for Palestinian statehood.

Theroux said: “It’s a story specific to a time and a place and a region, but it’s also a universal insight into tribalism and the ways in which we can blind ourselves to the humanity of those around us.”


The Taliban suspend Afghan women’s radio station for providing content to overseas TV channel

Updated 05 February 2025
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The Taliban suspend Afghan women’s radio station for providing content to overseas TV channel

  • Since their takeover, the Taliban have excluded women from education, many kinds of work, and public spaces

KABUL: The Taliban's information and culture ministry said Tuesday it suspended an Afghan women’s radio station, citing “unauthorized provision” of content and programming to an overseas TV channel.
It’s the second time authorities have shuttered an outlet for allegedly working with foreign media.
The ministry said Radio Begum violated broadcasting policy and improperly used its license. “This decision comes after several violations, including the unauthorized provision of content and programming to a foreign-based television channel," the ministry said, adding it will review all necessary documents to determine the station’s future.
Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, five months before the Taliban seized power amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops.
The station’s content is produced entirely by Afghan women. Its sister satellite channel, Begum TV, operates from France and broadcasts educational programs that cover the Afghan school curriculum from seventh to 12th grade.
Rights groups, including Reporters without Borders, condemned Tuesday’s suspension and demanded it be reversed.
Since their takeover, the Taliban have excluded women from education, many kinds of work, and public spaces. Journalists, especially women, have lost their jobs as the Taliban tighten their grip on the media landscape.
In the 2024 press freedom index from Reporters without Borders, Afghanistan ranks 178 out of 180 countries. The year before that it ranked 152.
The information ministry did not identify the foreign TV channel it said Radio Begum was working with.
Last May, the Taliban warned journalists and experts in Afghanistan to cease their collaboration with Afghanistan International TV.
It was the first time they had told people not to cooperate with a specific outlet.

 


CNN to expand Middle East operations with new hub in Qatar

Updated 02 February 2025
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CNN to expand Middle East operations with new hub in Qatar

  • Initiative part of network’s broader strategy

DOHA: CNN is to strengthen its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a new operation in Media City Qatar, marking a significant expansion of its regional footprint.

The initiative, which was announced on Sunday, is part of the network’s broader strategy to enhance its global and regional content creation capabilities.

The Qatar-based operation will complement CNN’s existing hubs in the region, including its Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi — home to “Connect the World with Becky Anderson” — as well as its bases in Dubai, where CNN Arabic is headquartered, and various news bureaus across the region.

Scheduled to go live in the second half of 2025, the new hub in Media City Qatar will focus on developing multi-platform content covering major global trends. A dedicated team of content creators will produce material for digital and social platforms, along with an innovative weekly program for CNN International.

At a time when the Middle East remains central to the global news agenda, CNN’s expansion aims to bolster its coverage of geopolitics, business, technology, sports, culture, and travel, the network said.

It added it will also introduce training programs in journalism and production for students and young professionals in Qatar, further investing in media talent development.

Mike McCarthy, executive vice president and managing editor of CNN Worldwide, said: “CNN has a deep commitment to editorial coverage of the Middle East.

“Whether by adding to our ability to report from the region, providing new, cutting-edge studio facilities, or allowing us to tell a wider range of stories in new ways — including via a brand-new weekly show — this new operation in Qatar both underscores and expands that commitment.”

Phil Nelson, executive vice president of CNN International Commercial, highlighted the network’s ambition to innovate.

He said: “This expansion into Qatar will bolster our regional and global operations, adding to our long-standing footprint in the Middle East.

“We look forward to launching innovative formats and content propositions from this new studio in Media City Qatar in the second half of 2025.”

Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, chairman of Media City Qatar, welcomed CNN’s arrival and stressed Qatar’s growing role as a media and technology hub.

He said: “This expansion signals the continued growth of Qatar’s strategic role in shaping global conversations from the heart of the Middle East — because here, where next is made, we are not only witnessing progress, we are making it happen.”


Israeli-designed AI bot publishes pro-Palestinian messages

Updated 02 February 2025
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Israeli-designed AI bot publishes pro-Palestinian messages

  • The AI-powered social media profile called Israeli soldiers ‘white colonizers in apartheid Israel’

DUBAI: An AI bot designed to promote Israeli narratives on social media has turned itself into a pro-Palestinian machine, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

FactFinderAI was reportedly developed at the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza in October 2023 to counter “misinformation” about Israeli hostilities.

However, the bot has generated anti-Israeli narratives on X, calling for solidarity with Gazans and referring followers to a charity organization to which they can donate in support of Palestinians, Haaretz reported.

The bot has denied claims that an Israeli family was killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and has accused Israel of proposing a US ban on TikTok.

With about 3,800 followers, the bot mainly comments on posts from X users rather than creating its own original posts.

In one response to a pro-Israeli user, the bot called Israeli soldiers “white colonizers in apartheid Israel.” In another — to a pro-Palestinian user — it concluded that former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will be remembered for (his) actions that have caused immense suffering and devastation in Gaza.”

The bot has also posted misinformation, falsely claiming that Israeli hostages released as part of the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas were still being held by the group.

Haaretz said it was unclear whether the bot had been officially funded by the Israeli government or developed independently by pro-Israeli activists.

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry has dedicated at least $550,000 since the start of the war in Gaza to projects that use AI to spread pro-Israeli propaganda. “One of these was Hasbara Commando, a project that also used AI to generate automatic comments,” Haaretz stated.

The newspaper quoted Israeli NGO FakeReporter’s findings that FactFinderAI posts AI-generated content about Israel’s war on Gaza. While the bot was designed to give a pro-Israeli take on other people’s posts, it ended up trolling pro-Israel accounts with pro-Palestinian opinions.

In one instance, the bot urged Germany to follow the lead of Ireland and Spain and officially recognize the state of Palestine.