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VIRAL NEWS: LOSING A MILLION, LESS TIKTOK TIME, & THE MURDAUGH CASE

A peek into the topics buzzing at Cassandra

Friday is here! And with it, the latest edition of our viral news roundup! The internet moves fast, so we at Cassandra try to move even faster and catch all the topics young people can't stop talking about. This week we'll discuss the trial that has taken up all the headlines, Kylie Jenner's 1 million Instagram follower loss, and the new regulations TikTok might implement to limit minors' screen time.

Image of a woman on her phone with a screen shot overlay of an article with the headline "Cosmopolitan, Kylie Jenner Loses 1 Million Instagram Followers Amid Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber Drama"

KYLIE JENNER LOSES A MILLION FOLLOWERS

Kylie Jenner has reportedly lost an estimated 1 million followers on Instagram after the internet accused her of bullying Selena Gomez. Amid the recent controversy, Gomez overtook Jenner as the most-followed woman on Instagram by gaining almost 10 million followers in just a week and reaching 392 million. Kylie's follower loss came after she posted a photo of her eyebrow with the text "this was an accident???" soon after Selena had shared a post saying she had accidentally over-laminated her brows. The controversy evolved to mainly focus on a Hailey Bieber-Selena Gomez feud —as explained in this TikTok by @cami.twomeyy— in which the actress-singer-producer has the upper hand when it comes to internet support. "We ride at dawn," some users posted on TikTok. This uproar is a clear example of the "zero tolerance" policy Gen Zs have for bullying and unkindness. Even within this controversy, Selena Gomez has been an avid mental health champion and has encouraged her followers to let it go and be kind to everyone while she takes a break from social media.

Image of the TikTok logo over a black background surrounded by pink, neon blue, and white abstract patterns

TIKTOK HELPS YOU CONTROL YOUR SCREEN TIME

Speaking of taking a break, TikTok thinks people should lower the number of hours they spend on social media. This decision comes as a big move from arguably the most popular social media platform in recent years —particularly among Gen Z— towards improving the mental health of its users by limiting their screen time. Even though there's no scientific agreement about how much screen time becomes too much screen time, the social media giant is limiting the time that users under 18 years old can spend using the app to 60 minutes daily. After this time passes, the users can continue watching if they type in their password, having to "actively make a decision" and sidestepping the immersive nature of the platform that would typically push people to get lost in it. The tactic will be similar for users under 13 years old, for whom the app will prompt their parents/guardians to input a password to extend their screen time to over 60 minutes. All these tools for users and parents will roll out in the upcoming weeks and aim to push back against the growing mental health crisis affecting young people.

Image of a judge's hand tapping a gavel with a screen shot overlay of an article with the headline "Alex Murdaugh Convicted of Murdering Wife and Son"

THE MURDAUGH CASE VERDICT

After a nearly six-week-long trial, a verdict has been reached in the case of the Murdaugh family double homicide. The trial took place more than 20 months after the murders and has raked a committed following of true crime aficionados that have taken it to TikTok to cover the story accumulating over 93 Million views in the #MurdaughCase tag. Alex Murdaugh, a member of one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families, was declared guilty of the murders of his wife Maggie and his son Paul, and is now facing a minimum of 30 years in prison. With daily recaps, videos of opinions, and even deep dives into other cases related to Murdaugh, Gen Z's interest in true crime seems to be an avenue of endless content within the platform.