Tech Report: Instagram adds teen safety limits as Walmart, Spotify and Etsy expand AI partnerships
Instagram is rolling out new protections for teenagers’ accounts — including a system that limits what young users can see based on PG-13 movie ratings.
(LILAMAX)- Instagram is rolling out new protections for teenagers’ accounts — including a system that limits what young users can see based on PG-13 movie ratings.
According to The Wall Street Journal, teen accounts on Instagram will, by default, only have access to content comparable to a PG-13 film. Users under 18 won’t be able to opt out without parental permission, and parents will have the option to apply even stricter filters to their teens’ feeds.
Meanwhile, Walmart is teaming up with OpenAI to make shopping easier through ChatGPT. Users will soon be able to browse and buy Walmart products directly from the chatbot, with a catalog spanning apparel, entertainment, packaged food, and more. The new feature is expected to launch this fall.
Listening habits are also shifting online. Spotify says the number of people streaming audiobooks on its platform has climbed 36% in the past year, with listening hours up 37%. Subscribers get 15 free hours of audiobook listening per month, allowing them to sample titles without exceeding their limit.
Spotify is also partnering with Netflix to bring some of its most popular video podcasts — including The Bill Simmons Podcast from The Ringer and Spotify Studios — to the streaming giant’s platform. The shows will release simultaneously on both services starting next year in the U.S.
And Etsy is embracing artificial intelligence. The e-commerce company announced a new feature that lets users make single-item purchases directly through ChatGPT using an instant checkout system that’s free for shoppers and doesn’t affect prices.
Etsy also officially moved its stock listing from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange, a change CEO Josh Silverman called a symbol of “transparency, excellence, and long-term shareholder value.”
