Nation and world briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024

Judge temporarily halts enforcement of law limiting kids’ use of social media

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge issued an order Tuesday temporarily halting enforcement of a pending Ohio law that would require children to get parental consent to use social media apps.

U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley’s temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit brought Friday by NetChoice, a trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies. The litigation argues that the law unconstitutionally impedes free speech and is overbroad and vague.

While calling the intent to protect children “a laudable aim,” Marbley said it is unlikely that Ohio will be able to show the law is “narrowly tailored to any ends that it identifies.”

Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from social media feeds

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meta said Tuesday it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, including posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.

The social media giant based in Menlo Park, California, said in a blog post that while it already aims not to recommend such “age-inappropriate” material to teens, now it also won’t show it in their feeds, even if it is shared by an account they follow.

“We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps,” Meta said.

Teen users — provided they did not lie about their age when they signed up for Instagram or Facebook — will also see their accounts placed on the most restrictive settings on the platforms, and they will be blocked from searching for terms that might be harmful.

Park Service retracts decision to take down William Penn statue

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Park Service withdrew a proposal Monday to take down a statue of William Penn at a Philadelphia historical site as part of a renovation that touched off a torrent of criticism over the legacy of the man who founded the province of Pennsylvania.

In a brief statement, Independence National Historical Park said it has withdrawn the proposal it had announced quietly before the weekend about a wider renovation of Welcome Park, located just blocks from the Liberty Bell and the National Constitution Center.

The proposal, it said, was released “prematurely” and hadn’t undergone a complete internal review.

“No changes to the William Penn statue are planned,” it said. The park service never explained the reason for the impetus to remove the statue.

Guam police say a man who fatally shot a South Korean tourist has been found dead

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — A man suspected of fatally shooting a South Korean tourist during a robbery last week in Guam was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his alleged getaway driver was in custody, police in the U.S. territory said Tuesday.

Police said the first suspect was found dead inside a parked car Tuesday night, KUAM-TV reported. Police won’t release his name until his family has been notified.

A second man believed to have been the driver of the SUV allegedly used in the deadly Jan. 4 robbery was found in a game room and taken into custody, police said.

Guam heavily relies on tourism and U.S. government spending to power its economy. South Korea sends more tourists to Guam than any other country.

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor died from natural causes, coroner says

LONDON (AP) — Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor died from “natural causes” in July, a coroner said Tuesday.

London’s Metropolitan Police had said the singer’s death was not considered suspicious after she was found unresponsive at a home in southeast London on July 26. O’Connor was 56.

The Southwark Coroner’s Court confirmed that O’Connor died of natural causes, which means circumstances when an illness or condition is not linked to external forces. It did not provide details.