Teen group, tech critics push for stronger online safety measure

WASHINGTON — A youth advocacy group for safer online practices is pushing for tougher restrictions on social media platforms after a House committee last week approved a watered-down version of a kids’ online safety measure.

“The changes that were made ahead of the Wednesday markup reflected a weakened duty of care,” said Zamaan Qureshi, co-chair of Design It For Us, a coalition representing people who are 16 to about 25 years old, who are commonly identified as the largest users of social media apps.

“So what we want to see is some of those definitions changed before the bill reaches the House floor to make sure that we’re protecting all young people and making sure that we’re strengthening this duty of care.”

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Sept. 18 approved a kids’ online safety bill despite Democrats objecting to the last-minute changes they said would dilute its effectiveness.

—CQ-Roll Call

‘An immense difference:’ Boston schools make moves to keep kids off their phones

BOSTON — As Boston kids and their phones head back to school this year, a wave of new schools are taking a big step to keep students’ attention off their screens and refocus on learning.

Thirty-one Boston public school have begun or are gearing up to implement systems for students to lock their phones away in “Yondr” pouches throughout the day. Nine elementaries and four high schools are currently using the pouches, BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said at the start of school.

Students insert their phones — along with any smartwatches or other electronics — in their issued pouch at the start of the school day, check in to magnetically lock the case, and get to unlock the pouch at the end of the school day.

“It’s part of, like, the routine of coming to school,” Zoey, an 8th grader at the Eliot school, said of the pouches in s classroom. “You always have to have your Yondr pouch, and if you don’t have it, then you usually turn it into the front office. Just part of my routine, I just remember I have to check out my notifications and then turn on (do not disturb), or turn it off.”

—Boston Herald

Trump edges ahead of Harris in new national Quinnipiac poll

Former President Donald Trump edged ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris by a 48%-47% margin in a new national Quinnipiac poll of the race for the White House.

The survey, which was dead even when measured as a head-to-head contest, comes as a rare piece of good news for Trump amid a string of polls that have mostly showed the Democrat forging a slight lead since their debate two weeks ago.

With 41 days before Election Day, the poll represents a purported shift toward the Republican candidate after the last Quinnipiac poll showed Harris with a slender lead last month, perhaps signaling a boost in enthusiasm for Trump.

“All eyes are on which candidate can best stoke their supporters’ enthusiasm all the way to the finish line,” said Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac poll analyst. “A slight shift suggests the Harris crowd is not roaring as loudly as it was last month.”

—New York Daily News

Deadly attacks on Japanese in China inflame tenuous relations between the 2 nations

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A deadly knife attack on a Japanese schoolboy in China has stoked frictions between the two countries, and raised safety concerns at a time when China is trying to lure foreigners for work and travel.

The 10-year-old student was stabbed to death by a 44-year-old man outside the gates of a Japanese school in Shenzhen last week. Chinese authorities have not revealed any motive for the attack.

Japanese officials are seeking more details from the investigation and raising concerns about the safety of their citizens there. There were 102,066 Japanese nationals living in China in 2022, according to government data, close to a 20-year-low.

“We strongly demand that the Chinese side explain the facts,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last week, according to Japanese media. “I cannot help but feel deep sorrow. It was an extremely cowardly crime and a serious incident.” Some Japanese companies, including Panasonic, have offered to move their China-based employees back home, according to media reports.

—Los Angeles Times