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New NC bill would ban minors from social media

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A new bill filed in the North Carolina House of Representatives aims to ban children under 14 from social media and age-verify some sites — but not like other age-verification laws.

HB 301, called the Social Media Protections for Minors Act, was introduced last Wednesday and passed its first reading, according to North Carolina station WFMY News 2. It'll now go to a committee for further review.

Similar to Australia's social media ban for children under 16, this bill would prohibit anyone under 14 from creating an account on social platforms that meet certain criteria (like having 10 percent daily active users under 16 and "addictive" features like infinite scrolling). Children aged 14 to 15 would need parents' permission to make an account, though it doesn't detail how this consent would be handled.

Additionally, HB 301 calls for "anonymous" or standard age verification when viewing a site with a substantial portion (over a third) of content deemed "harmful to minors." The phrase "harmful to minors" harkens back to a Supreme Court case, Ginsberg v. New York, which concluded that content that isn't obscene (thus protected by the First Amendment) can still be "harmful to minors."

Typically, in age-verification laws, this means explicit content. This part is in line with other such laws, which require some form of age verification (such as a digital ID or facial scan) in order to visit porn sites.

Unlike other age-verification laws that have passed in the U.S. — including North Carolina's own age-verification law — this one requires these site visitors to be 16 years or older, not 18, though. In North Carolina, the age of consent is 16.

In January, the Supreme Court heard about age-verification laws in the case Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, and their ruling will likely come out this summer. Findings from a recent study on age verification laws suggest that these laws don't work at their proposed aim to keep minors away from explicit websites. This is because they can access websites that don't comply with the laws, or work around them with a VPN.

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The best-selling $169 AirPods Pro deal is back — grab em while you can

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SAVE $80: As of Aug. 9, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $169 at Amazon. That's 32% off their list price of $249.



Apple AirPods Pro 2 in charging case

Credit: Apple


Apple AirPods Pro 2

$169
at Amazon

$249
Save $80



The battle of the best earbuds is a pretty tough race, but the AirPods Pro are still a huge standout — especially now that they feature USB-C charging. And we love them even more when they're on sale.

As of Aug. 9, the AirPods Pro 2 are down to just $169 at Amazon instead of the usual $249. That's a savings of 32% and just $20 shy of their best-ever price from Prime Day. The Apple earbuds do fall to $169 pretty regularly, but that doesn't mean this isn't a solid deal. That's only $40 more than the AirPods 4 at full price, which don't even offer noise cancellation.

We particularly love the rich and well-balanced sound of the AirPods Pro, although we wish they offered customizable EQ. They also offer best-in-class noise cancellation, decent battery life (up to six hours per charge, 30 hours with case), and seamless Apple ecosystem integration. The Pros regularly top our lists of the best headphones, and our readers seem to love them just as much. "For portability, active noise cancellation, and balanced sound, your search ends with the AirPods Pro," our reviewer writes.

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NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 9, 2025

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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

  • Yellow: Ways to throw a baseball

  • Green: Hockey fouls

  • Blue: Women's hockey

  • Purple: Roll Tide QBs

Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: Baseball Pitching Arm Slots

  • Green: Hockey Penalties

  • Blue: PWHL Teams

  • Purple: Former Alabama QBs

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #320 is…

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

  • Baseball Pitching Arm Slots – OVERHAND, SIDEARM, SUBMARINE, THREE-QUARTERS

  • Hockey Penalties – BOARDING, CROSS-CHECKING, HOOKING, INTERFERENCE

  • PWHL Teams – CHARGE, FLEET, FROST, SIRENS

  • Former Alabama QBs – NAMATH, STABLER, STARR, YOUNG

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.

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Microsoft is shutting down its Lens PDF scanner app

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The Microsoft logo and lettering can be seen on the Microsoft Deutschland GmbH headquarters building in Parkstadt Schwabing in Munich

Microsoft is quietly winding down its Lens scanning app for iOS and Android, the company confirmed in a support document.

Formerly known as Office Lens, the app lets users convert images into PDFs, PowerPoint slides, and Excel files, handling both handwritten and printed documents with ease. It was simple, reliable, and widely used — but it’s now on the chopping block. Microsoft plans to officially retire the app on Sept. 15, 2025.

Support will end on Nov. 15, 2025, when Lens will be pulled from both the App Store and Google Play. Users will still be able to create scans until Dec. 15, 2025, but after that, the feature will be disabled. Existing scans will remain accessible as long as the app stays installed on the device.

The move marks the end of an app that’s seen more than 50 million downloads on Google Play and nearly 136,000 ratings on Apple’s App Store.

Microsoft is pointing users toward Microsoft 365 Copilot, which carries over most of Lens’s scanning capabilities. However, Copilot lacks some of Lens’s biggest perks, including direct saving to Microsoft Suite apps and accessibility features like read-aloud support and Immersive Reader integration.

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