An internal research study at Meta dubbed “Project MYST” created in partnership with the University of Chicago, found that parental supervision and controls — such as time limits and restricted access — had little impact on kids’ compulsive use of social media. The study also found that kids who experienced stressful life events were more likely to lack the ability to moderate their social media use appropriately.

This was one of the notable claims revealed during testimony at the social media addiction trial that began last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is identified by her initials “KGM” or her first name, “Kaley.” She, along with her mother and others joining the case, is accusing social media companies of creating “addictive and dangerous” products that led the young users to suffer anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and more.

The case is now one of several landmark trials that will take place this year, which accuse social media companies of harming children. The results of these lawsuits will impact these companies’ approach to their younger users and could prompt regulators to take further action.

In this case, the plaintiff sued Meta, YouTube, ByteDance (TikTok), and Snap, but the latter two companies had settled their claims before the trial’s start.

In the jury trial now underway in LA, Kaley’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, brought up an internal study at Meta, which he said found evidence that Meta knew of, yet didn’t publicize, these specific harms.

In Project MYST, which stands for the Meta and Youth Social Emotional Trends survey, Meta’s research concluded that “parental and household factors have little association with teens’ reported levels of attentiveness to their social media use.”

Or, in other words, even when parents try to control their children’s social media use, either by using parental controls or even just household rules and supervision, it doesn’t impact whether or not the child will overuse social media or use it compulsively. The study was based on a survey of 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use.

The study also noted that both parents and teens agreed on this front, saying “there is no association between either parental reports or teen reports of parental supervision, and teens’ survey measures of attentiveness or capability.”

If the study’s findings are accurate, that would mean that the use of things like the built-in parental controls in the Instagram app or the time limits on smartphones wouldn’t necessarily help teens become less inclined to overuse social media, the plaintiff’s lawyer argued. As the original complaint alleges, teens are being exploited by social media products, whose defects include algorithmic feeds designed to keep users scrolling, intermittent variable rewards that manipulate dopamine delivery, incessant notifications, deficient tools for parental controls, and more.

During his testimony, Instagram head Adam Mosseri claimed not to be familiar with Meta’s Project MYST, even though a document seemed to indicate he had given his approval to move forward with the study.

“We do a lot of research projects,” Mosseri said, after claiming he couldn’t remember anything specific about MYST beyond its name.

However, the plaintiff’s lawyer pointed to this study as an example of why social media companies should be held accountable for their alleged harms, not the parents. He noted that Kaley’s mother, for example, had tried to stop her daughter’s social media addiction and use, even taking her phone away at times.

What’s more, the study found that teens who had a greater number of adverse life experiences — like those dealing with alcoholic parents, harassment at school, or other issues — reported less attentiveness over their social media use. That means that kids facing trauma in their real lives were more at risk of addiction, the lawyer argued.

On the stand, Mosseri seemed to partially agree with this finding, saying, “There’s a variety of reasons this can be the case. One I’ve heard often is that people use Instagram as a way to escape from a more difficult reality.” Meta is careful not to label any sort of overuse as addiction; instead, Mosseri stated that the company uses the term “problematic use” to refer to someone “spending more time on Instagram than they feel good about.”

Lawyers for Meta, meanwhile, pushed the idea that the study was more narrowly focused on understanding if teens felt they were using social media too much, not whether or not they were actually addicted. They also generally aimed to put more of the responsibility on parents and the realities of life as the catalyst for kids like Kaley’s negative emotional states, not companies’ social media products.

For instance, Meta’s lawyers pointed to Kaley being a child of divorced parents, with an abusive father, and facing bullying at school.

How the jury will interpret the findings of studies like Project MYST and others, along with the testimonies from both sides, remains to be seen. Mosseri did note, however, that MYST’s findings had not been published publicly, and no warnings were ever issued to teens or parents as a result of the research.

Meta has been asked for comment.

A federal district court in Northern California ruled in favor of Cameo, a platform that allows users to get personalized video messages from celebrities, and ordered OpenAI to stop using “Cameo” in its products and features.

OpenAI was using the “Cameo” name for its AI-powered video generation app Sora 2. Users could use that feature to insert digital likenesses of themselves into AI-generated videos. In a ruling filed Saturday, the court said the name was similar enough to cause user confusion, and rejected OpenAI’s argument that “Cameo” was merely descriptive, finding that “it suggests rather than describes the feature.”

In November, the court granted a temporary restraining order to Cameo and stopped OpenAI from using the word. The AI company then renamed the feature to “Characters” after that order.

“We have spent nearly a decade building a brand that stands for talent-friendly interactions and genuine connection, and we like to say that ‘every Cameo is a commercial for the next one.” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said in a statement.

“This ruling is a critical victory not just for our company, but for the integrity of our marketplace and the thousands of creators who trust the Cameo name. We will continue to vigorously defend our intellectual property against any platform that attempts to trade on the goodwill and recognition we have worked so hard to establish,” he noted.

“We disagree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo,’ and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” an OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters in response to the ruling.

OpenAI has been involved in several intellectual property cases in recent months. Earlier this month, the company ditched “IO” branding around its upcoming hardware products, according to court documents obtained by WIRED. In November, digital library app OverDrive sued OpenAI over its use of “Sora” for its video generation app. The company is also in legal disputes with various artists, creatives, and media groups in various geographies over copyright violations.

A Spanish court has granted precautionary measures against NordVPN and ProtonVPN, ordering the two popular VPN providers to block 16 websites that facilitate piracy of football matches.

The restrictions will apply to a dynamic list of IP addresses in Spain, and there will be no opportunity for appeals. The measures were taken ‘inaudita parte’, meaning that the defendants weren’t called to participate in a hearing.

LaLiga – the country’s professional football organizer, and its broadcasting partner, Telefónica, are required to “preserve sufficient digital evidence of the unlawful transmission of the protected contents.”

LaLiga showed a strong stance against the piracy ecosystem in recent years, previously targeting Cloudflare, accusing the internet giant of facilitating illegal sports streaming.

The two organizations proved that the VPN providers fall under the EU Digital Services Regulation, and therefore have a duty to help prevent copyright infringement carried out through their infrastructure.

“The orders identify how VPN systems prove to be a suitable means, ‘highly effective and accessible to generate the possibility of access to content not accessible in certain geographic points,’ distorting the real geographic location of online access, and facilitating ‘access to websites that broadcast protected content illegally,’” reads LaLiga’s announcement.

“What is more, the orders highlight how the defendant companies acknowledge and even advertise that their system is excellent at evading restrictions.”

LaLiga characterized the ruling as unprecedented in Spain, aligning it with similar decisions in France, and celebrated that the liability of VPN providers for piracy is clearly recognized.

In response, ProtonVPN took to Twitter to question the decision, declaring a total lack of awareness of the proceedings and stating that they have not been formally notified.

“Any judicial order issued without proper notification to the affected parties, thereby denying them the opportunity to be heard, would be procedurally invalid under fundamental principles of due process, stated the VPN service provider.

“Spanish courts, like all courts operating under the rule of law, are bound by procedural safeguards that ensure parties are given a fair opportunity to present their case before any binding judgment is rendered.”

In a request for comments to BleepingComputer, NordVPN’s spokesperson Laura Tyrylyte stated that the company was not involved in any legal proceedings in Spain.

Tyrylyte stated that the process for blocking domains is ineffective in the fight against piracy as it does not address the root cause. Instead, hosting providers should be the target, since pirates can use subdomains to bypass the restrictions.

“Effective piracy control should focus on eliminating the source of the content, targeting hosting providers, cutting off financing for illegal operations, and increasing the availability of legitimate content.”

Through its representative, NordVPN said that the measures affect mostly reputable, paid VPN providers, while free services continue to operate largely unhindered.

“Free VPNs are often harder to regulate and, since users who seek to avoid paying for content are unlikely to pay for a VPN either, these services remain a loophole for pirates to bypass restrictions.”

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Lowe’s Home Improvement grew the old-fashioned way, working its way up from a single, small, family-owned North Carolina general store founded in 1921. But the Lowe’s hardware store empire is plenty big these days. A tool-filled Lowe’s superstore is now about as big as a New York City block. The focus stays mostly on appliances and tools for the home DIYer, more than large building contractors. I like to pop in for grill and griddle tools, or just some propane. But you can also buy a pre-finished door complete with the frame—or the lumber, sanders, routers, and saws you’d use to make your own door, including the hinges and the wood stain. It’s easy to get lost in the endless aisles if you love the smell of plaster and wood dust, but it’s easier to find the best Lowe’s deals on the website. This roundup includes Lowe’s daily deals, a promo code, and Lowe’s offer code for 40% off appliances, plus info on the Lowe’s rewards program and military discounts.

Save Up to 40% on Select Major Appliances at Lowe’s

Until February 25, there’s a Lowe’s offer code for up to 40% off major appliances. The biggest deal I saw was a steep $1,700 discount on an LG fridge with a filtered water and ice dispenser, but some of the already discounted washers and dryers also offer $50 or $100 off if you buy them as a set. Purchase includes free next-day delivery and installation.

Quick Ways to Save at Lowe’s: Text Alerts and Daily Deals

Lowe’s wants to be able to tell you about its deals, hoping you’ll be tempted to take advantage of them. If you’re a consistent DIYer, it’s likely worth getting a heads-up on the Lowe’s Deals of the Day, delivered to your phone via text message. This might be anything from drills to snow blowers or lawn mowers, plus the best package deals on appliances, refrigerators, washers, and dryers. Each of these deals is one-day only. If you sign up for text messaging about Lowes’ daily deals, you get $5 off a $50 purchase.

Join the MyLowe’s Rewards Program, Get Maximum Benefits

If you’re planning on doing some major work this year, or just like to putter around, it’s probably worth picking up a MyLowe’s Rewards Program membership. Each eligible purchase accrues points that’ll pay out in increments of $5 in-store credit at Lowe’s. Like a lot of loyalty programs, you get more benefits if you spend more at the store, including free shipping on all purchases including the small ones, member-only discounts, and point boosters for better discounts.

There are three tiers of memberships, depending what you buy. One large appliance might already qualify you for the highest tier of rewards, at which point you might as well. These are the three tiers, based on the total cost of what you’ve bought at Lowe’s in the past year. Bronze ($0-$499): $35 minimum for free shipping; 1 point per $1 spent. Silver ($500-$1,999): Free shipping; 1.25 points per $1 spent. Gold ($2,000+): Free shipping; 1.5 points per $1 spent.

For contractors, there’s a separate MyLowe’s Pro Rewards Program that offers Lowe’s in-store credit in increments of $1 for every 100 points earned. (Points expire in half-yearly increments, on June 30 and December 31.) Benefits include member-only deals, volume discounts, free standard shipping in the contiguous United States, and a 20% paint discount after annual spend of $3,000 or more. Other benefits include analytics and spend reports, online order quoting, and purchase authorization for specified crew members.

10% Military Discount, Plus Free MyLowe’s Silver Status

All verified active military, veterans, and military spouses are eligible for a 10% discount on full-price items—meaning things don’t have to be on sale to be on sale. This is available through what Lowe’s calls the Everyday Military Discount program. When you enroll, you also get an immediate upgrade to Silver status on the MyLowe’s Rewards program, which means more rewards points earned per dollar, and free shipping on all orders in the contiguous United States.

Get a free Silver status upgrade instantly when you enroll in our Military Discount program and validate through ID.me. MyLowe’s Rewards Silver status members receive free standard shipping (excludes AK and HI) and earn more points per dollar.

Save 5% on Everyday Purchases at Lowe’s

Like a lot of big retailers, Lowe’s also has a store credit card with discounts attached. The MyLowe’s Rewards Credit Card offers 5% off qualified purchases, with a whole bunch of asterisks. Specifically, the discount applies after all other discounts and can’t be combined with other programs like contractor bulk discounts, employee discounts, or military discounts. It also doesn’t work on Weber, Miele, or Kichler products. Scroll to the bottom here, for APR and exceptions. The smart person signs up during a big purchase: When you sign up and get approved, you get 20% off an in-store purchase (up to $100 off).

Another way to get 5% off on items you need regularly is to set up a Lowe’s subscription. This is good for items ranging from cleaning products, air and water filters, lawn care, pet goods, plumbing, and batteries. Shipping is free, and delivery happens automatically.

Just as people were settling in to primetime viewing hours on the east coast in the US and the end of the workday in the west, YouTube seemed to take a nap as more than 800,000 people in the US and hundreds of thousands elsewhere in the world reported the loss of the feed, according to Downdetector. The outage started to gain traction at 5 p.m. PT and quickly spiked to 338,308 reports by 5:10 p.m., according to Datadetector’s graph.

As of 6:30 p.m. PT, the number of reports had dropped to under 50,000. Google (which owns YouTube) provided a status update naming an “issue with our recommendations system prevented videos from appearing across surfaces on YouTube (including the homepage, the YouTube app, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids).”

YouTube told CNET that the outage was due to an issue with the company’s recommendation system which has since been resolved.

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CNET staffers who noticed the outage saw YouTube’s familiar home screen with a search bar and side column, but no videos. YouTube apps, such as on an iPad, showed a 1980s-style pixel artwork and the message “Something went wrong.”.

(Disclaimer: Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)