There are so many different variations of how to make a heart with your hands. I think Gen Z is just trying to be quirky.
Block porn on X
The social network X (I still think of it as Twitter) has always had its seedier corners, but now Elon Musk has officially said porn is OK on the platform. And to keep your, uh, activity private, they’re now hiding likes, too. Coincidence? Yeah, I don’t think so.
Running into X-rated images is not going to be OK with millions of X users. If your kid is on X, you should walk them through these steps. If you don’t want to see … well, whatever people start posting, pop into your settings, too. It’s easiest to do on your computer.
To turn off the NSFW stuff on the web:
- Click More > Settings and privacy.
- Choose Privacy and safety > Content you see.
- Uncheck the Display media that may contain sensitive content box.
- Click Search settings and check Hide sensitive content.
You can get specific, too
On the Privacy and safety menu, there’s also a Mute and block option. Use this to hide certain words, hashtags and accounts you don’t want popping up on your timeline (or your kids’ timelines).
- Choose Muted words.
- Click the + (plus) button (top right) > Enter the word to block — like #nsfw.
- Make sure From anyone and Until you unmute the word are selected.
- Click Save.
Pro tip: NSFW means “not safe for work.” Yeah, use your imagination and you’ll know what kind of pics that means.
A word of warning
If you’re setting up these filters for your children rather than yourself, they can turn them right back off again. Don’t sneak in and do it — have a frank chat about why these settings should be adjusted. A good conversation can do wonders.
If all else fails, though, there are stricter options.
- On Apple phones and laptops, use the Screen Time feature to put limits on content and apps. Go to Settings > Screen Time on an iPhone or System Settings > Screen Time on a Mac.
- On Android, install Google Family Link, and on Windows try Microsoft Family Safety.
🚫 Teenage mutant bullies: Kids at Great Valley Middle School in Pennsylvania created fake TikTok accounts to impersonate their teachers, posting lewd pics, racist memes and homophobic statements (paywall link). They were suspended. It’s got to be so hard for a teacher today.
Author and Austinite Nick Gray had the crazy idea to combine a blind date with a vacation — his treat. He went viral when he posted his proposal on X, and over 400 women applied. Where did he take the lucky lady: A.) Rome, B.) Tokyo, C.) Las Vegas or D.) Sydney?
🦐 Anything for likes: Facebook hasn’t stopped AI slop like “Shrimp Jesus” from landing on your news feed, even though this junk is often tied to scams. Why? Well, it doesn’t violate their rules if there’s no nudity or violence. But really, they want to keep people sharing and liking. When you see a post like this, hit the three-dot icon on it and click Hide post. Hopefully, the algorithm will catch on.
Pulled over in my Porsche
I was driving to work in my new ride and got pulled over. Let’s just say my morning didn’t quite go as planned.
🌟 Celeb appreciation: Morgan Freeman thanked fans on X for exposing a TikTokker using AI to mimic his voice. The woman pretending to be his “nepo niece” (a relative who benefits from someone’s fame) used fake Morgan to narrate her day-in-the-life video. The clip pulled in hundreds of thousands of likes. Crazy.
Best (and worst) dating profiles
Know someone using all the dating apps, but they never seem to go on dates? They might be committing these online dating faux pas.
Deepfake 'endorsements'
Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. It’s easier than ever to fake famous faces.
🚨 Don't download these apps 🚨
Don’t download these apps — or any that look or sound like one of these examples.
60-minute TikToks?
Do you think hour-long videos will do well on short-form platforms? I mean, come on! Who has the time?
I was shocked by this selfie idea
Please don’t be as dumb as this guy just to get your five seconds of fame. Your life is worth more than a bad circuit.
Do you know a kid obsessed with Roblox?
Roblox is adding paid billboard ads within the game, making it the largest playground for product pushing. Do you think kids have selective vision when their game is covered in ads?
Tech how-to: Get YouTube notifications
This is a smart way to always know when your favorite creators (ahem, me!) have a new video live.
Kitboga: Behind the scenes of his scambaiter chronicles
Kitboga joined The Kim Komando Show to talk all things “scambaiter.” He shared lots, including the longest time he has spent with a scammer. Find out on the full podcast here.
MrBeast's backstory: Rise to No. 1 on YouTube
MrBeast surpassed the top YouTube channel #tseries, then broke a world record for most subscribers in one day. How did this enormous creator get where he is? We did the digging.
New app limits kids bathroom breaks
Are your kids ready for this to become the norm?