Headline, April 14 2025/ SPARKLE : ''' TEENAGERS -PARENTS- TENTACLES '''

SPARKLE : 

''' TEENAGERS -PARENTS- 

TENTACLES '''

ON THE WORLD STUDENTS SOCIETY - !WOW! AVAILS ITSELF of the honour to nominate esteemed Mrs. Shahbano Basit - a splendid human, a great mother, a former teacher as the ' Global Head ' of teenager safety on !WOW!.

SO, should Mrs. Shahbano Basit consent in writing to !WOW! her acceptance - The World Students Society will once again have the honour to publish a short snippet of her life, and her outstanding 4 children. Two of whom studied and now work in the US.

A FAMILIAR MARKER : In America, The Motion Picture Association, M.P.A introduced the PG-13 rating in 1984, after decades of debate over how much the film industry should restrict sexual and violent content for young students / moviegoers.

Intended to '' strongly caution '' parents of children under 13, the rating became shorthand for a movie that could have a bit of sexuality and nudity and allows some violence without it getting too graphic.

Over the years, it has become well established that PG-13 movies have wider commercial appeal, giving filmmakers an economic incentive to hew to the M.P.A.'s limitations.

The rating system has weathered its own controversies over the years. Some view it as prudish and creatively stifling, others overly permissive. But it has endured, even as the internet has transformed children's consumption.

INSTAGRAM : LAST FALL AS INSTAGRAM FACED scrutiny over child safety - the social media company introduced a new approach that it hoped would ease the parents' minds.

The content restrictions for teenage users would be guided by the PG-13 rating long used by this industry; in other words, teenagers should be exposed only to the kind of content allowed in movies like '' Barbie '' or '' Superman.''

The plan soon hit a snag. The Motion Picture Association, which operates the film rating system and owns a trademark to the PG-13 label, pushed back vigorously against its use and signalled that it was considering filing a lawsuit against Meta.

After months of simmering tensions between two of the major players in Hollywood and Big Tech, the  Motion Picture Association announced in a news release last Tuesday that Instagram had backed away from its PG-13 branding.

The release includes a statement from Meta, the owner of Instagram, in which the company said it was  '' pleased to have reached an agreement with the M.P.A.''

As part of the agreement, Instagram will be adding disclaimer to its marketing materials making clear that it had not collaborated with the film industry in formulating its restrictions.

'' We didn't work with the M.P.A. when updating our common settings,'' the disclaimer reads, '' and they're not rating any content on Instagram, and they're not endorsing or approving our content settings in any way.''

Rather, it says teenagers '' drew inspiration '' from movie ratings.

The retreat is the latest setback for Meta as it seeks to defend itself against criticism over child safety.  Last week a jury in New Mexico found that the company had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms for users under 18.

The next day a jury in California found that it had pushed addictive technologies that helped lead to a young user's anxiety and depression.

Meta has maintained that it has worked hard over the years to establish protections for teenagers and limit what they see while scrolling to '' age-appropriate content.''

But the company has acknowledged a messaging problem. After Instagram reviewed feedback from parents, Adam Mosseri, its chief executive, said in October that his company had room to improve in clearly explaining what ''age'' appropriate content meant.

So the social media giant looked to the M.P.A., Hollywood's top lobbying group, and a more time-tested peer in the entertainment industry - one that began facing scrutiny well before the internet era over how product could influence young minds.

For Instagram, the main draw of the PG-13 rating was its broad name recognition.

'' I think it's vocabulary that we're familiar with, and so it makes us feel more comfortable - whether we should be or not,'' said Nicole Coates, 39, a mother of three who lives near Boise, Idaho.

Her 16-year-old son has one of Instagram's Teen Accounts, which the company introduced in 2024 in an overhaul meant to beef up privacy and address concerns about inappropriate content for teenage users.

'' The internet is a big scary place,'' she said.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Child Safety, A.I., Social Media giants, and !WOW! continues. The World Students Society thanks Julia Jacobs and Callie Holtermann.

With most loving and respectful dedication to the Global Founder Framers of !WOW!, and then Parents, Teenagers, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world.

See You all prepare for the Great '' Constitutional Democratic Convention '' on !WOW! - the exclusive and eternal ownership of every teenager in the world - : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter X !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - The Voice Of The Voiceless