TikTok has added a Safety Center to its platform, simultaneously releasing a 38-page summary of the months-long global research project on the impact its challenges and hoaxes have on adolescent users. The study — which queried more than 10,000 teens, their parents, and teachers across Asia, Europe and the Americas — was written by independent agency Praesidio Safeguarding. The move is a response to negative attention TikTok has received from media and lawmakers involving allegations of “blackout challenges” and slap-a-teacher dares. Critics are saying the social video platform’s new safety features do not go far enough. Continue reading TikTok Debuts Safety Center Following Survey on Teen Users

At Facebook research unit Building 8, former Alphabet’s Regina Dugan is overseeing a project that will allow people to type using brain signals, the ultimate in hands-free smartphone communication. Dugan reports that, within a few years time, the system will be able to type 100 words per minute by monitoring the brain and without any implants. The technology may not require the person to think in letters. The same lab is also working on a way for people to hear through their skin.

Continue reading Facebook Develops Interface to Type Words via Brain Waves

A number of startups at the Sands Convention Center during CES are showcasing solutions for targeted problems and shortcomings within the overall VR experience. Some plan to develop products, while others hope to license their technologies and IP to others. IonVR is showing lens-based tech that reduces motion sickness and latency in mobile VR. The Eye Tribe is working on foviated rendering and an interface based on eye tracking, while Reach Bionics is developing a UI based on facial expressions. Continue reading CES 2016: Virtual Reality Startups Are Tackling Big Problems