Lawmakers call on Facebook to drop the “Instagram for Kids” plan, thousands protest El Salvador’s adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender and Uber Canada helps voters get to the polls this election.
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It’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Friday, September 17, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
Democratic lawmakers are urging Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to stop plans to make an Instagram for children under 13. Lawmakers are against “Instagram for Kids,” after recent reports revealed that Instagram has heightened mental health problems in teenagers. Lawmakers say that teenagers and children are at a vulnerable age and Instagram “poses a significant threat to young people’s well being.” The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that researchers for Instagram have studied how the app affects teenagers, concluding that the app was responsible for mental health issues mainly related to self-image. According to Gizmodo Facebook is now facing criticism for its Instagram for kids plan since many see the possible app as a money grab and a way to get kids interested in the platform from a young age.
A week after El Salvador officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender, thousands took to the streets to protest the decision. The digital bitcoin wallet rollout has not been a smooth one. According to the New York Post, many have reported that the service has been frequently down for maintenance. The bitcoin law is supposed to help the 70 per cent of the country that don’t have bank accounts to access financial services. But instead, protesters are calling the move arrogant and a distraction to actual economic issues. An opposition lawmaker told Bloomberg that the country is struggling with unemployment and high living costs and the decision to adopt bitcoin as legal tender has come at a very bad time. Almost 5,000 people protested the action this week.
And lastly, Uber Canada announces its plan to get Canadian citizens to the voting polls for the Federal Election on Monday. The company says it will offer 50 per cent off for roundtrip rides to and from the polls. Uber says this is part of its ongoing effort in Canada to help assist with important events such as helping riders get to vaccination centres and voting polls. On September 20 Canadians can use the code VOTE2021 to get the discount. The code is available for use nationwide. During the 2019 Canadian Federal Election, Lyft also offered a similar discount to voters in Toronto and Ottawa.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Friday at 3 pm. If you have a suggestion or tip, please drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thanks for listening, I’m Tom Li.