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Roblox is stepping up its age verification system for users who want to privately message other players and implementing age-based chats so kids, teens and adults will only be able to message people around their own age.The moves come as the popular gaming platform continues to face criticism and lawsuits over child safety and a growing number of states and countries are implementing age verification laws.The company had previously announced the age estimation tool, which is provided by a company called Persona, in July. It requires players to take a video selfie that will be used to estimate their age.…

A Panera Bread sign hangs on the exterior of the restaurant on July 25, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty ImagesWhen Panera Bread began shrinking its sandwiches and skimping on salads, it started shedding customers.Now, to win them back, the chain plans to reinvest in the business and undo many of those same cost-cutting measures, it said Tuesday.Once the number one fast-casual brand in the U.S., Panera has dipped to number three, ceding the top spots to Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express. Last year, its sales fell 5% to $6.1 billion, according to Technomic estimates. For years,…

by Lacey Pfalz Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Mon November 17, 2025 A new luxury theme park is coming to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, expected to offer fun activities for both children and adults alike. Called BON, or Beauty of Nature, the theme park belongs to entertainment complex VidantaWorld Nuevo Vallarta, and will feature three distinct worlds with theme park staples like family-friendly games, entertainment and rides. BON will be designed with a more upscale ethos, surrounding park-goers in tropical foliage and artificial ruins and providing several gourmet dining options. “In fall 2026, VidantaWorld’s BON Luxury Theme Park will open as a…

Following a spate of lawsuits and investigations over its child safety systems, Roblox is going to implement mandatory facial verification for all users who want to access communication features, starting in January. The platform is also introducing age-based chat, meaning users can only communicate with others in a similar age group. Starting Tuesday, users can voluntarily verify their age to secure their access to communication features. In the first week of December, Roblox will begin enforcing the age-check requirement in select markets, including Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. From January, all users around the world will be required to…

The Home Depot logo is displayed on a sign outside of a store on Sept. 6, 2025 in San Diego, California. Kevin Carter | Getty ImagesHome Depot will report earnings before the bell on Tuesday as the retailer tries to attract more business from contractors, roofers and other professionals to help offset a slower housing market.The company expects its full-year sales to grow by 2.8% and comparable sales, which take out the impact of one-time factors like store openings and calendar differences, to rise about 1%.Here’s what Wall Street is expecting for the company’s fiscal third quarter, according to a…

A pro-AI super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman has chosen New York Assembly member Alex Bores — and his congressional bid — as its first target.  The PAC, dubbed Leading the Future, formed in August with a more than $100 million commitment to support policymakers with a light-touch — or a no-touch — approach to AI regulation. And that means going after policymakers who want to regulate AI. The super PAC has backing from a number of other prominent leaders in tech, including Palantir co-founder and 8VC managing partner Joe Lonsdale as well as AI search engine…

With consumers increasingly asking questions of ChatGPT — not Google — product discovery is changing. And the promise to give brands visibility and control over this fast-growing search channel has made Peec AI one of Europe’s hottest startups. Just four months after its Seed round led by 20VC, the Berlin-based startup has raised a $21 million Series A led by European VC firm Singular. CEO Marius Meiners declined to disclose the valuation, but said it had tripled and was now above $100 million.  This comes after Peec AI grew its annual recurring revenue to more than $4 million in only…

Mastodon’s creator, Eugen Rochko, is stepping down as CEO of the open source, decentralized social network and X rival, as part of the organization’s transition to a non-profit structure, announced at the beginning of the year. The change is Mastodon’s most significant leadership overhaul to date, and one designed to ensure Mastodon’s longevity. As part of the organization’s restructuring, Mastodon will be governed by a board of directors, which today includes Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Karien Bezuidenhout, Esra’a Al Shafei, Mastodon Community Director Hannah Aubry (who will be stepping down), and Felix Hlatky, who will be taking the role of…

BOSTON (AP) — Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University who once served as U.S. treasury secretary, issued a statement saying he would step back from public commitments after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008. The statement sent to The Harvard Crimson and other media on Monday said Summers would step back to “rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused.…

Google is rolling out new AI-powered features to book and plan travel in Search, the company announced on Monday. The tech giant is expanding availability for its AI-powered “Flight Deals” tool, adding the ability for users to organize travel plans with its “Canvas” tool in AI Mode, and launching agentic booking capabilities to more people. Google first launched Flight Deals back in August in the U.S., Canada, and India. Now, the company is expanding the AI-powered search tool within Google Flights globally to help people quickly find affordable destinations. To get started, users need to describe where, when, and how…