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Spain will join the growing list of countries banning access to social media for children, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The law will apply to users under 16 years of age amidst a broader push to hold social media companies accountable for hate speech, social division and illegal content. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Prime Minister Sanchez excoriated social media, calling it a "failed state" where "laws are ignored and crime is endured." He spoke to the importance of digital governance for these platforms, highlighting recent incidents like X's AI chatbot Grok generating sexualized images of children, Meta "spying" on Android users and the myriad election interference campaigns that have taken place on Facebook. In light of what Sanchez called the "integral" role social media plays in the lives of young users, he said the best way to help them is to "take back control." Next week, his government will enact a slew of new regulations, with a ban on users under 16 years of age among them. Social media companies will be required to implement what he calls "effective age verification systems" and "not just checkboxes." A specific timeline on enforcement of the coming ban has not been announced. Spain will also make "algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content" into a new criminal offense and Sanchez says tech CEOs will face criminal liability for hateful or illegal content on their platforms. The Prime Minister further announced that Spain has formed a coalition with five other unnamed European nations to enact stricter governance over social media platforms. Sanchez said children have been exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone, and that its the governments job to intervene. He added social media has fallen from its promise to be a tool for global understanding and cooperation. Australia enacted an under-16s ban on social media last year, which has prompted many nations to follow suit. It is under active consideration in the UK, while Denmark and Malaysia have announced plans to enact similar bans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/spain-set-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-16-151546884.html?src=rss
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Amazon is running a sale on two of its newest devices. First, there's the Echo Show 8, which is down to $150 from $180 a 17 percent discount. Next up is the Echo Show 11, which is more or less the same device, just bigger. This model has dropped 18 percent to $180 from $220. Both deals bring the Echo Shows down to new all-time low prices. The Echo Show 8 and 11 came out in mid-November with the main difference being screen size. The Echo Show 8 has an 8.7-inch HD screen that Amazon claims is 15 percent larger than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Echo Show 11 is, you guessed it, an 11-inch Full-HD display that has 60 percent more viewing area than the Echo Show 8. Both of the devices come with an AZ23 Pro chip and Omnisense technology, which Amazon describes as "our custom sensor platform designed for ambient AI." They also have Prime Video and Netflix apps, while other streamers can be reached through the browser. Each comes with spatial audio, dual full-range drivers and a 2.8-inch woofer. Plus, they have a 13MP camera with auto-framing. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-echo-show-8-and-11-are-down-to-new-all-time-lows-150021328.html?src=rss
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New Mario sports games typically only come around once in a generation. So to get a fresh installment of tennis featuring a deep roster of characters this early in the Switch 2's lifecycle is rather exciting. And after getting a chance to play Mario Tennis Fever prior to its official release on February 12, the best entry to the franchise yet might only be a couple of weeks away. Once again, Mario Tennis Fever relies on the series' familiar mix of topspin, slice and flat (power) shots used in previous games. The big new mechanic for this title is that instead of Zone Shots from Mario Tennis Aces, you can equip each character with a different racket, similar to how you can choose between a range of vehicles in Mario Kart. Every racket features a different special ability that you can charge up by rallying back and forth. When the gauge is full, you can unleash a Fever Shot to potentially devastating results. The Fever Shot is just one of the special abilities from the 30 different rackets available in Mario Tennis Fever. Nintendo For example, the Fire Racket turns the ball into a fireball that leaves multiple embers on the court. If your opponent gets burned, they will slowly lose health, which will make them move slower or knock them out (but only temporarily) if you're playing doubles. Alternatively, the Pokey Racket can summon the giant cactus monster it's named after onto the court, which not only blocks your view but gets in the way as you chase down shots. And just like the game's large stable of characters (38 in total), there are almost just as many different Fever Rackets (30) to choose from. The thing I like most is that compared to special shots in previous titles, Fever Shots have built-in counterplay. Zone Shots from Mario Tennis Aces sometimes made it feel like you were playing a fighting game as people battled to conserve meter, while signature moves in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash often turned into automatic points. If someone sends a Fever Shot at you, you can send it back simply by returning the ball before it bounces. This naturally sets up some frenetic sequences as characters try to volley back and forth without letting the ball hit the ground in order to prevent the Fever Shot from taking effect on their side of the court. This is exactly the kind of chaos that makes Mario Tennis so fun it just feels a bit more balanced now. Pokey is here to be a thorn on your court. Nintendo That said, if you prefer a different kind of mayhem, there are also new Wonder Court Matches, which borrow the titular blue flower seeds from Mario's most recent 2D platformer. This game mode nixes Fever Rackets in favor of changing up the rules of the sport on the fly in weird and unexpected ways. Don't be surprised when you have a hard time hitting seeds with your shots to activate wondrous effects while spike balls get tossed at you or a parade of piranha decides to have a party on top of the net. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to play Mario Tennis Fever's Adventure mode, which is a bit of a shame as I've heard that it's deeper and more fleshed out. This is a welcome upgrade from the somewhat thin single-player campaign from Aces. Thankfully, the game still supports motion controls for younger players or anyone who'd rather swing a virtual racket instead of mashing buttons. I also appreciate that Nintendo is making it easy to get into multiplayer matches, as the game supports both online matches (ranked and unranked) and local wireless connectivity (LAN). For the latter, you can also use the Switch 2's Game Share feature to send the title to other nearby systems so people can try out Mario Tennis Fever for themselves, even if they don't own a copy. Wonder Court Matches are another new way to upend the rules of Mario Tennis. Nintendo So if you're like me and you've always preferred sports games that are more bombastic instead of realistic, Mario Tennis Fever ($70) is shaping up to be a real grand slam. Pre-orders are live now ahead of the title's official release on February 12. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-tennis-fever-preview-a-racket-smashing-blast-140000408.html?src=rss
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