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TikTok will play ‘calming music’ to remind teens to stop using the app

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TikTok will play ‘calming music’ to remind teens to stop using the app

TikTok is rolling out a new feature to encourage teens to stop using the app at night. If a teen under 16 is still using the app after 10PM, TikTok will interrupt their feed with a full-screen “wind down” reminder, which will play “calming music to help teens relax and be mindful of the time.”

It will display another reminder that’s harder to dismiss if teens ignore the first one. TikTok plans on expanding this wind-down feature in the future, as it’s going to start testing incorporating medication exercises into the reminder “in the coming weeks.”

TikTok is making some updates to its Family Pairing feature as well, which already lets parents put restrictions on their child’s account. It’s launching a new Time Away feature that will allow parents or caregivers to prevent their child from going on TikTok during specific times, as well as set a recurring schedule. TikTok will also give parents the ability to see who their teen is following, who follows them, and which accounts their child has blocked.

Additionally, TikTok says it will continue to use age assurance technology, including machine learning, to prevent children under 13 from using the app. It’s partnering with the telecom company Telefonica “to understand how people can use age information from their phone provider to confirm their age.” Google also recently announced that it would start using machine learning to estimate users’ ages.

The launch of these new features comes as lawmakers continue to home in on online child safety. Earlier this month, Utah became the first state to pass a law to require app store operators, like Google and Apple, to verify users’ ages when downloading an app. Other state laws have emerged that would block children from accessing social media, but many of them have been blocked by courts.

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Fox News AI Newsletter: 10 showstopping CES innovations

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Fox News AI Newsletter: 10 showstopping CES innovations

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– CES 2026 showstoppers: 10 gadgets you have to see
– Construction giant unveils AI to help prevent job site accidents: ‘It’s essentially a personal assistant’
– Fox News gets exclusive look at company helping businesses nationwide harness AI-powered robots to boost efficiency and fill labor gaps

CES 2026 put health tech front and center, with companies showcasing smarter ways to support prevention, mobility and long-term wellness. (CES)

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FUTURE IS NOW: Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, takes over Las Vegas. It’s where tech companies show off what they’re building next, from products that are almost ready to buy to ideas that feel pulled from the future.

SAFER SITES: Construction equipment giant Caterpillar has unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to improve job site safety and boost efficiency as the industry grapples with labor shortages.

FUTURE OF WELLNESS: The Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, is the world’s largest consumer technology event, and it’s underway in Las Vegas. It takes over the city every January for four days and draws global attention from tech companies, startups, researchers, investors and journalists, of course.

FUTURE OF WORK: As artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, Fox News got an exclusive look at a company helping businesses nationwide harness AI-powered robots to boost efficiency and fill labor gaps. RobotLAB, with 36 locations across the country and headquartered in Texas, houses more than 50 different types of robots, from cleaning and customer service bots to security bots.

The LG CLOiD robot and the LG OLED evo AI Wallpaper TV are displayed onstage during an LG Electronics news conference at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2026. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)

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COMPUTE CRUNCH: The price tag for competing in the artificial intelligence race is rapidly climbing, fueling demand for advanced computing power and the high-end chips that are needed to support it. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su said demand for AI computing is accelerating as industries rush to expand their capabilities.

AI GONE WRONG: A California teenager used a chatbot over several months for drug-use guidance on ChatGPT, his mother said. Sam Nelson, 18, was preparing for college when he asked an AI chatbot how many grams of kratom, a plant-based painkiller commonly sold at smoke shops and gas stations across the country, he would need to get a strong high, his mother, Leila Turner-Scott, told SFGate, according to the New York Post. 

DR CHAT: ‘The Big Money Show’ panelists weigh in on a report on people turning to ChatGPT for medical and healthcare questions.

‘FUNDAMENTALLY DEFLATIONARY’: OpenAI Board Chair Bret Taylor discusses artificial intelligence’s potential to change traditional work and its increasing use in healthcare on ‘Varney & Co.’

MIND TRAP ALERT: Artificial intelligence chatbots are quickly becoming part of our daily lives. Many of us turn to them for ideas, advice or conversation. For most, that interaction feels harmless. However, mental health experts now warn that for a small group of vulnerable people, long and emotionally charged conversations with AI may worsen delusions or psychotic symptoms.

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A California teenager sought drug-use guidance from a ChatGPT chatbot over several months while preparing for college, his mother told SFGate, according to the New York Post. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Meta expands nuclear power ambitions to include Bill Gates’ startup

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Meta expands nuclear power ambitions to include Bill Gates’ startup

These AI projects include Prometheus, the first of several supercluster computing systems, which is expected to come online in New Albany, Ohio, sometime this year. Meta is funding the construction of new nuclear reactors as part of the agreements, the first of which may come online “as early as 2030.” These announcements are part of Meta’s ongoing goal to support its future AI operations with nuclear energy, having previously signed a deal with Constellation to revive an aging nuclear power plant last year.

Financial information for the agreements hasn’t been released, but Meta says that it will “pay the full costs for energy used by our data centers so consumers don’t bear these expenses.”

“Our agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo, and Constellation make Meta one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy in American history,” Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, said in the announcement. “State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America’s position as a global leader in AI.”

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Why January is the best time to remove personal data online

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Why January is the best time to remove personal data online

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January feels like a reset. A new calendar. New goals. New habits. While you clean out your inbox, organize paperwork or set resolutions, however, scammers also hit reset, and they start with your personal data.

That is because January is one of the most important months for online privacy. This is when data brokers refresh profiles and scammers rebuild their target lists.

As a result, the longer your information stays online, the more complete and valuable your profile becomes. To help address this, institutions like the U.S. Department of the Treasury have released advisories urging people to stay vigilant and avoid data-related scams. 

For that reason, taking action early in the year can significantly reduce scam attempts, lower identity theft risks, and limit unwanted exposure for the rest of the year.

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January is when data brokers refresh profiles and scammers rebuild target lists, making early action critical for online privacy. (iStock)

STOP DATA BROKERS FROM SELLING YOUR INFORMATION ONLINE

Why personal data does not expire and keeps compounding online

Many people assume old information eventually becomes useless. Unfortunately, that’s not how data brokers work.

Data brokers don’t just store a snapshot of who you are today. They build living profiles that grow over time, pulling from:

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  • Public records (property sales, court filings, voter registrations)
  • Retail purchases and loyalty programs
  • App usage and location data
  • Past addresses, phone numbers, and relatives
  • Marketing databases and online activity.

Each year adds another layer. A new address. A changed phone number. A family connection. A retirement milestone. On its own, one data point doesn’t mean much. But together, they create a detailed identity profile that scammers can use to convincingly impersonate you. That’s why waiting makes things worse, not better.

Why scammers ‘rebuild’ targets at the start of the year

Scammers don’t randomly target people. They work from lists. At the beginning of the year, those lists get refreshed.

Why January matters so much:

  • Data brokers update and resell profiles after year-end records close
  • New public filings from the previous year become searchable
  • Marketing databases reset campaigns and audience segments
  • Scam networks repackage data into “fresh” target lists.

Think of it like the upcoming spring cleaning, except it’s criminals organizing identities to exploit for the next 12 months.

If your data is still widely exposed in January, you’re far more likely to:

Once your profile is flagged as responsive or profitable, it often stays in circulation.

As personal information accumulates across databases, digital profiles grow more detailed and more valuable to scammers over time. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Why taking action in January protects you all year long

Removing your data early isn’t just about stopping scams today; it’s about cutting off the supply chain that fuels them. When your information is removed from data broker databases:

  • It’s harder for scammers to find accurate contact details
  • Phishing messages become less convincing
  • Impersonation attempts fail more often
  • Your identity becomes less valuable to resell.

This has a compounding benefit in the opposite direction. The fewer lists you appear on in January, the fewer times your data gets reused, resold, and recycled throughout the year. That’s why I consistently recommend addressing data exposure before problems start, not after.

Why retirees and families feel the impact first

January is especially important for retirees and families because they’re more likely to become targets of fraud, scams, and other crimes.

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Retirees often have:

  • Long addresses and employment histories
  • Stable credit profiles
  • Fewer active credit applications
  • Public retirement and property records

Families add another layer of risk:

  • Relatives are linked together in broker profiles
  • One exposed family member can expose others
  • Shared addresses and phone plans increase visibility

Scammers know this. That’s why households with established financial histories are prioritized early in the year.

Why quick fixes don’t work

Many people try to “start fresh” in January by:

Those steps help, but they don’t remove your data from broker databases. Credit monitoring services alert you after something goes wrong. Password changes don’t affect public profiles. And unsubscribing doesn’t stop data resale. If your personal information is still sitting in hundreds of databases, scammers can find you.

The January privacy reset that actually works

If you want fewer scam attempts for the rest of the year, the most effective step is removing your personal data at the source.

You can do this in one of two ways. You can submit removal requests yourself, or you can use a professional data removal service to handle the process for you.

Removing your data yourself

Manually removing your data means identifying dozens or even hundreds of data broker websites, finding their opt-out forms and submitting removal requests one by one. You also need to verify your identity, track responses and repeat the process whenever your information reappears.

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This approach works, but it requires time, organization, and ongoing follow-up.

Using a data removal service

A data removal service handles this process on your behalf. These services typically:

  • Send legal data removal requests to large networks of data brokers
  • Monitor for reposted information and submit follow-up removals
  • Continue tracking your exposure throughout the year
  • Manage a process that most people cannot realistically maintain on their own

Removing your data at the start of the year helps reduce scam attempts, phishing messages and identity theft risks all year long. (iStock)

Because these services handle sensitive personal information, it is important to choose one that follows strict security standards and uses verified removal methods.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

RETIREES LOSE MILLIONS TO FAKE HOLIDAY CHARITIES AS SCAMMERS EXPLOIT SEASONAL GENEROSITY

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Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Scammers don’t wait for mistakes. They wait for exposed data. January is when profiles are refreshed, lists are rebuilt, and targets are chosen for the year ahead. The longer your personal information stays online, the more complete-and dangerous-your digital profile becomes. The good news? You can stop the cycle. Removing your data now reduces scam attempts, protects your identity, and gives you a quieter, safer year ahead. If you’re going to make one privacy move this year, make it early-and make it count.

Have you ever been surprised by how much of your personal information was already online? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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