YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are facing a flood of AI-generated content aimed at children. It’s easy and quick to create, and production is rampant. But it has the inherent flaws of AI-generated video: visual inconsistencies, narrative gaps, and a lack of realism. While it’s still too early for comprehensive studies, experts have already raised concerns about the impact of these videos on children’s cognitive development.

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Police have identified a Chinese national, who was detained during a raid at a hotel here last month, as the organiser of a party linked to deviant activities and drug abuse.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said investigations found that the event was promoted on Instagram.

He said initial investigations showed that the drugs seized were for personal use and shared among party attendees, with no evidence of trafficking.

“However, intelligence gathering is ongoing to trace the source of the drug supply,” he said when contacted here today.

In a related development, Hussein said the department is still waiting for the medical report to determine the cause of death of a man believed to be involved in the party who was found unconscious during the raid.

The man was confirmed dead upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

Hussein said that of the 51 individuals detained in the raid, 17 were charged under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, one under Section 39A(1), and 33 under Section 12(2) of the same Act.

He added that the Chinese national has been charged under Section 12(2) and Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act.

On May 24, police arrested 51 men in four raids at a hotel in the federal capital and seized various types of drugs worth RM103,070. — Bernama

A friend is upset because you didn’t “like” a photo from her last trip, but the truth is you haven’t even had a chance to see it. Instead of displaying it on your feed, Instagram prioritized showing you ads for food.

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© NurPhoto (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Social media has turned into a kind of teleshopping channel where almost everyone presents themselves as an expert. It’s become a breeding ground for health products and hacks — many of them unsupported by evidence or backed by evidence that is forced or taken out of context. With minimal effort, these tricks promise users better health and fixes for problems such as lack of sleep, a widespread issue that, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), affects around one in three U.S. adults.

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© Anciens Huang (Getty Images)

Hands up if you’ve seen these type of people on Instagram and Facebook!

Measures to include restrictions on ‘safe’ social media apps, with some fearing banning some platforms and not others will lead to legal challenges

Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps while safer platforms will be subjected to restrictions, under a sweeping government crackdown.

Under-18s will also be banned from using romantic or sexual AI chatbots after a consultation on keeping children safe online.

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© Photograph: David Parry/PA

© Photograph: David Parry/PA

© Photograph: David Parry/PA

In September 2021, The Wall Street Journal published the Facebook Files, a series of reports based on internal documents from the tech company that, among other things, showed its executives were aware of the harms Instagram and Facebook were causing young people. It was a bombshell. It triggered the biggest reputational crisis for Mark Zuckerberg’s company, which weeks later rebranded as Meta. The person behind it was engineer Frances Haugen, 42, who left her post at Facebook carrying 21,000 internal documents. The U.S. Senate summoned her to testify, and investigations were opened into her revelations.

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie thriller Colony has officially crossed RM20 million at the Malaysian box office, following weeks of strong word-of-mouth and widespread discussion among local moviegoers.

It was only a matter of time, as the reputation of Yeon Sang-ho — the director behind what many consider one of the greatest Korean zombie films ever made, Train to Busan — had helped generate strong anticipation for his latest take on the genre.

This milestone was acknowledged by director Yeon and the cast in a special video message posted recently on GSC’s Instagram account, before being widely shared across social media platforms.

The video features Yeon alongside the cast Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, and Shin Hyun-been expressing their appreciation to Malaysian audiences.

“We are so thankful for the overwhelming love and support that you have shown Colony,” said Jun.

Koo added, “Thanks to you, the movie has officially surpassed RM20 million.”

“It means so much to us to see everyone enjoying the film together,” said Ji.

Kim also encouraged moviegoers who have yet to watch the film, saying, “If you haven’t seen Colony yet, please don’t miss the chance to watch it in theatres.”

“Thank you once again for this impressive milestone,” added Shin.

The video concluded with the director and cast saying, “Kamsahamnida! (thank you)”

Colony has enjoyed a strong run in Malaysia since its nationwide release on May 22.

Its box office journey began with RM1.4 million and quickly gathered momentum, surpassing RM10 million within its first week before eventually crossing the RM20 million mark.

It was also recently reported that Colony had surpassed 1 million admissions in Malaysia, further demonstrating the scale of its popularity.

The film continues to screen nationwide, with audiences still heading to cinemas to catch the latest zombie thriller.

The story follows a group of survivors trapped inside a sealed skyscraper after a mysterious infection spirals out of control.

Cut off from the outside world, they are forced into a brutal fight against infected humans who continuously mutate into increasingly dangerous forms. 

In 2011, Karl von Randow and Matt Buchanan, two tech-loving New Zealand film buffs, launched Letterboxd, a movie review and rating app inspired by Goodreads, the platform that does the same for books. For several years, they juggled this small project with their work at a web design studio. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, they hired their first full-time employee, and with the world confined to their homes, their user base exploded. In 2023, the company was acquired by the Canadian company Tiny and today boasts over 26 million user profiles. While this figure seems insignificant compared to companies like Instagram (with around three billion active users), it reflects the cultural power of film as a source of conversation. Those who love movies enjoy watching them as much as discussing and analyzing them in detail, and Letterboxd is aimed at that community — including famous filmmakers and performers.

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© photo: MPTV.net (Barry Wetcher)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has today announced that under-16s in the U.K. are to be banned from social media.

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Meta's social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, are experiencing widespread issues today, with users reporting login failures, unexpected account logouts, and problems accessing both websites and mobile apps. The Meta Business Suite is also down as of the time of writing.

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