Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images A lawsuit has been filed against Character.AI, its founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, and Google in the wake of a teenager’s death, alleging wrongful death, negligence, deceptive trade practices, and product liability. Filed by the teen’s mother, Megan Garcia, it claims the platform for custom AI chatbots was “unreasonably dangerous” and lacked safety guardrails while being marketed to children. As outlined in the lawsuit, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III began using Character.AI last year, interacting with chatbots modeled after characters from The Game of Thrones, including Daenerys Targaryen. Setzer, who chatted with the bots continuously in the months before his death, died by suicide on February 28th, 2024, “seconds” after... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Roblox is making some potentially major changes that will limit what pre-teens can access and give parents more control over what their kids do on the platform, according to an email sent by the company and shared with The Verge. The changes follow recent reports highlighting how Roblox has failed to protect children. In July, for example, Bloomberg published a big report about predators on the platform. Turkey blocked access to Roblox in August, saying it was a necessary measure to protect its children. (Roblox said this week that it would open an office in the country if access was restored.) Earlier this month, a popular financial newsletter accused Roblox of enabling child abuse and the investment firm Hindenburg Research alleged... Continue reading…

One of iOS 18's best new features isn't just for users in the EU after all. Spotted by 9to5Mac in the first iOS 18.2 developer beta, the update will give "all users worldwide" the ability to set new default apps for calling and messaging. "[iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2] include improvements to the Apps area in Settings first introduced in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18," Apple explains on its developer site. "All users worldwide will be able to manage their default apps via a Default Apps section at the top of the Apps area. New calling and messaging defaults are also now available for all users worldwide." Apple has made a series of changes to iOS based on feedback from the European Commission, but many of those changes have been exclusive to the European Union. For instance, Apple still isn't allowing alternative app stores in the United States. Meanwhile, some of the other changes have trickled down to other regions, such as this one. According to 9to5Mac, when you visit Settings > Apps on your iPhone or iPad, you will see a new Default Apps section after you upgrade to iOS 18.2. It features seven categories: Email, Messaging, Calling, Call Filtering, Browser App, Passwords & Codes, and Keyboards. Not only is this the first time that iOS users have been able to change the default calling and messaging apps, but it's also far easier to do so in the new hub. Unfortunately, the iOS 18.2 beta is only available for devices that support Apple Intelligence, which means anyone who hasn't upgraded their iPhone in the last two years will have to wait. That said, once the final release rolls out, every iPhone that supports iOS 18 should have the ability to manage default calling and messaging apps. iOS 18.2 is expected to roll out to the public in December. Don't Miss: Today’s deals: $367 Apple Watch Series 10, $66 14-piece cookware set, $99 230-piece Craftsman tool set, more The post iOS 18.2 lets everyone set new default apps for calling and texting appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: 10% off toys, 35% off Crest 3D Whitestrips, $50 foldable camera drone, more Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2024: Get $450+ free Today’s deals: Govee AI Sync Box 2, $55 Vizio soundbar, $499 M2 Mac mini, Acer Aspire Go 15 Slim laptop, more Today’s deals: $119 off iPad mini, $120 heated jackets, Energizer batteries, $30 Crock-Pot, more

Ronna McDaniel has issued a warning to Republicans that they are missing out on connecting with Gen Z voters.

Protesters in Washington, D.C., are demanding a local pizza shop apologize over a new ad campaign that seemingly mocks late Mayor Marion Barry's drug use.

The campaign for former President Donald Trump has purchased ads on some the "biggest R&B and hip hop radio stations" in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

McDonald's worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race, has won the endorsement of a Philadelphia firefighters union.

The maker of weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to prevent compounding pharmacies from manufacturing their own version of the popular drugs.

Pennsylvania's highest court on Wednesday said people whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law can cast provisional ballots, a decision sure to affect some of the thousands of mail-in votes likely to be rejected this fall.The...