Roughly 20 percent of U.S. teens surveyed say they were on TikTok and YouTube “almost constantly” in 2025, with YouTube distinguishing itself for use “by nearly all teens,” according to a new Pew Research study. Ninety percent of teens surveyed say they’ve used YouTube, followed by TikTok and Instagram, with at least 60 percent claiming usage, with Snapchat landing at about 55 percent. Chatbot use is at about 64 percent among respondents, with about 30 percent of teens saying they use companionable AI answer engines daily, led by OpenAI’s ChatGPT (59 percent). Continue reading Pew Research: 30 Percent of U.S. Teens Use Chatbots Daily

The Entertainment Technology Center at USC launched ETCentric in March of 2011 as a news and commentary forum designed to provide our community members with the most vital information impacting media and entertainment. Over the years we experimented with a variety of delivery methods, eventually settling upon an online portal and associated daily email alert, teamed with a social media presence, highlights of ETC projects, and live reporting from key industry events. While it has been our great pleasure to provide this service to our valued members, we now find ourselves in a different era, one that features a much wider collection of targeted news services and social media tools that serve similar objectives. With that in mind — and as a key part of our larger initiative to refocus information-sharing on ETC projects — we have decided to shutter ETCentric and The Daily News Brief in their current forms and launch a new, more dynamic ETC website on January 5. The final day for ETCentric will be Friday, December 12. Continue reading ETC Updating Info Exchange, Will Shutter ETCentric Next Week

Amazon is playing catch-up to Elon Musk’s Starlink with its satellite-based Internet service Leo, the rebrand of Project Kuiper. Leo is previewing a gigabit-speed “Ultra” antenna for business customers. Amazon claims that Leo Ultra is “the fastest customer terminal in production,” with download speeds of up to 1 Gbps and upload speeds that max at 400 Mbps. Amazon Leo has “more than 150 satellites in orbit” with “initial network testing underway” and plans to have a total of 3,000 satellites. Because it’s satellite rather than terrestrially based, Leo is accessible in areas without reliable connectivity, anywhere on the globe. Continue reading Amazon Leo Ultra High-Speed Satellite Internet Is in Preview

Perplexity AI has launched its Comet browser for mobile, taking on Google in the Android ecosystem. Perplexity says it will soon release an iOS app as well. The AI-powered Comet browser debuted in July on a limited basis for Mac and Windows desktops, followed by a wider release in October. The Comet browser uses Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine to answer questions, either typed or posed conversationally, and lets users mention specific tabs or can focus on open tabs. It can also agentically complete tasks. Perplexity hasn’t disclosed Comet usage figures, but says manufacturers are already requesting to include Comet on-device. Continue reading Perplexity’s AI-Powered Comet Browser Now Live on Android

Mozilla is the latest entry in the AI browser space with AI Window, an opt-in feature within Firefox that lets you chat with an AI assistant and get help while you browse. The company is currently taking sign-up requests for those who want to try it out and provide feedback. “Browsers made by AI companies ask you to make a hard choice — either use AI all the time or don’t use it at all,” Mozilla says, emphasizing a more fluid approach that lets users switch from the classic Firefox to a more “personalized experience” with AI Window. Continue reading Mozilla Adds AI Opt-In for Firefox, Emphasizing User Choice

A year after launching its ultra-low-price digital shopping destination Haul as a tab on its website and app, e-commerce giant Amazon is launching a standalone app called Amazon Bazaar that sells the same inventory. The Amazon Bazaar standalone will initially bow in 14 additional territories, bringing the total availability of the company’s ultra-low-priced inventory to 25. Haul sells a wide range of fashion, home goods, and lifestyle products, most priced under $10, and some as low as $2. The app has helped Amazon compete with Chinese bargain sites Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop. Continue reading Low-Price Retail App Amazon Bazaar Launches in 14 Regions

Amazon is updating its AI business toolkit with a new automation subscription designed to speed office work. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is rolling out Quick Suite, an agentic AI application that connects across internal repositories and, via the model context protocol (MCP) to more than 1,000 third-party business apps. The result aims to transform how employees “find insights, conduct deep research, automate tasks, visualize data, and take actions across apps,” according to AWS. “Working with an AI agent is now as simple as chatting with a teammate,” Amazon suggests, explaining that “Quick works to help you go from insight directly to action.” Continue reading AWS Quick Suite a One-Window AI Integration and Agent Tool

On the heels of passing a sweeping AI consumer safety law, California Governor Gavin Newsom has enacted multiple privacy laws, including one that makes it “clear and easy” to delete social media accounts. Another expands 2018’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), requiring web browsers to include one-click methods to universally opt-out of allowing third-parties to sell personal data. Previously, Californians had to opt out of data sharing by filing requests one site at a time. Effective 2027, browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari will be required to have a single setting that lets consumers opt out of all data brokering. Continue reading Three New California Laws Strengthen Consumer Data Privacy

Squarespace, the platform launched in 2003 for website development and operation, is getting a refresh aimed at helping entrepreneurs and creative professionals incorporate more personalization and AI features. The ability to build websites via chat is coming soon. AI Optimization (AIO) for search is another focus. The company has partnered with AI answer engine Perplexity to serve as the website building and hosting partner for Perplexity’s new browser, Comet. Squarespace has also launched Finish Layer, a design suite with capabilities for animation, transforms, and advanced editing to help websites add “immersive experiences with professional-grade customization.” Continue reading Squarespace Partners with Perplexity, Debuts Chat Site Builder

OpenAI has added parental controls for ChatGPT’s Web interface, with mobile controls coming soon. The controls give parents the ability to reduce or remove certain content and dial down personalization by turning off ChatGPT’s transcript memories. At the same time, OpenAI has added the ability to restrict image generation with the launch of Sora parental controls for ChatGPT-connected teen accounts. There are also controls for sending and receiving direct messages through the app. OpenAI says the changes aim “to give families tools to support their teens’ use of AI.” To activate control access, parents must have their own accounts and teens will need to opt in. Continue reading OpenAI Rolls Out New Parental Controls to Help Protect Kids

Google is rolling out “Gemini in Chrome” to U.S. Mac and Windows desktop users. Business users will get it in the weeks to come, as will Android and iOS mobile devices. The immediate change integrates “Google AI into Chrome across multiple levels so it can better anticipate your needs, help you understand more complex information, and make you more productive when you browse the web.” There are a number of safety features that leverage AI to combat scams and handle things like automatic password resets. And Gemini in Chrome will soon be able to recall websites previously visited without requiring you to scroll through your browsing history. An agentic browsing assistant is also in the works. Continue reading Google Adds Gemini AI Assistant to Chrome Browser in U.S.

Publishers have been weathering a monetization crisis as AI encroaches on their original content. Automated licensing has become something of a lifeline. Really Simple Licensing (RSL) is an open, decentralized protocol from nonprofit rights organization RSL Collective, which is making it available free to websites that can use it to set licensing, usage and compensation terms for AI crawlers and agents. Based on the scalable Really Simple Syndication (RSS) framework, it works for digital content from web pages to books and videos, helping to thwart unauthorized scraping. Reddit, People, Yahoo and Ziff Davis are among those who have signed up. Continue reading RSL Offers Publishers a Path to Compensation for AI Scraping

Apple is reportedly working on an AI-powered search tool that would initially be integrated with Siri and eventually added to the Safari browser and Spotlight, a search app launched from the iPhone home screen. Known internally as World Knowledge Answers, it is expected to debut next spring, possibly with help from Google, which is said to have built a model to power Apple’s AI search. Google is a longtime Apple partner, providing the default search engine for Apple devices. The move is intended to make Apple’s search offerings more competitive with products from OpenAI and Perplexity. Continue reading Apple Said to be Working with Google on AI-Powered Search

Two new Google infrastructure projects will benefit from a nearly $20 billion Alphabet cash infusion. Reported in recent weeks: a $9 billion cloud and AI server facility expansion in Virginia and $9 billion to be spent on new construction and an existing plant upgrade in Oklahoma. Google has also committed $1 billion to AI training and support from the community college to university levels in both states. Such ambitions do not stop at U.S. shores. AWS has earmarked $4.4 billion to construct and operate cloud centers in New Zealand while OpenAI seeks investors for an India build-out. Continue reading Google, AWS Rack Up $23 Billion in New Data Center Growth

As the smart home world prepares for the Matter 1.5 update this fall, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is releasing a 1.4.2 update designed to bridge the gap, making devices more secure and efficient. Improvements include support for Wi-Fi-only commissioning. Using Wi-Fi Unsynchronized Service Discovery (USD), the protocol bypasses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radios in onboarding devices to Matter over Wi-Fi, providing a path to more affordable devices. A host of security upgrades includes cryptographic Vendor ID (VID), ensuring that the admins installed on a device are authentic. Continue reading Matter Releases an Update as a Next Step Toward Version 15