47% of Gen Z

Speaking of AI photos: Snapchat’s My Selfie feature creates neat AI-generated pics of you. The catch (there’s always a catch): If you use it, you’re giving Snap permission to use your face in ads and sponsored content, and you won’t get paid for it. No, thanks. To disable this, go to your profile photo > tap the Settings cog > toggle off See My Selfie in Ads.

Smartphone thieves listen to steal drums: Police are warning about a rise in expensive cellphone thefts from front porches. Don’t be next: Track your package closely and request a signature upon delivery. If you’re not home, send it somewhere else, get a video doorbell, post a “You’re being recorded” sign or install a porch lockbox.

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🔥 Don’t buy off-brand or cheap accessories: A 16-year-old girl was watching a movie at a friend’s house when she heard a sizzle and looked down to see her sweatshirt on fire. Her portable phone charger had exploded. Thankfully, the girls are OK, and firefighters arrived in time to put out the flames.

🦅 The secret life of birds: The Motus Wildlife Tracking system has tagged nearly 50,000 birds, insects and bats with mini trackers to reveal their flight patterns. When an animal flies by one of 2,000 stations, its location is logged. A surprising and sad find? Only 40% of fledgling barn swallows in southern Ontario survive to migrate. ”Peep” at the data yourself.

This is the same generation that ate Tide Pods: Gen Z’s latest social media trend is snapping photos of their TSA security trays while we all wait in line behind them. They neatly arrange their sunglasses, jewelry, bags and shoes before sending them through the X-ray, captioning it with gems like, “Am I overpacking for the one-day late-summer getaway?” Oof.

✅ Instagram for teens: Congress is laying on the pressure and Meta is finally making changes. “Teen accounts” for anyone under 18 will block non-friends from viewing their content or messaging them. Parents can also see who their kids have recently messaged, set daily time limits and block app usage during certain hours. Full list of changes here. Share this one with anyone with a teen.

⏰ The clock is TikTok-ing: A three-judge panel just heard TikTok’s argument against splitting from ByteDance, a company with direct ties to Communist China. They say 170 million Americans use TikTok (think of that loss of productivity!) and questioned why other Chinese-owned apps like Temu and Shein aren’t being targeted the same way. I hope Mr. Wonderful’s idea of letting everyday Americans buy TikTok comes to fruition.

🏃‍♂️ Anything for likes: Strava users are paying mules to fake their workouts. Prices vary by region, but one account on Fiverr charges $16 for a five-mile run. Why on Earth? Some folks are injured and want to maintain their in-app activity streaks, and others just want to impress their online followers. Bizarre.

👾 The science of fun: Action video games like Space Invaders Extreme 2 can help kids at risk of dyslexia improve word-identification skills. How? Fast-paced games require fast cognitive and motor skills, activating brain areas that control attention and process memory. Out of 79 kids with a family history of dyslexia, more than 80% showed improvement in word-identification tasks after playing.

Last messages from the Titan submersible: The crew experienced communication issues en route to the Titanic but said things were “all good here.” At about 3,350 meters deep, with pressure at 4,900 pounds per square inch, they sent a final text — “dropped two wts” (weights) — and then contact was lost. So sad.