This is Beirut - Tik Tok

US 'Very Close' to TikTok Deal with China: US Treasury Chief

This is Beirut, 15/09 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The United States is "very close" to a deal with China to settle their dispute over TikTok, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday as the two sides resumed trade talk in Madrid. Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng opened the latest round of discussions in Madrid on Sunday, seeking to narrow differences on trade and technology that ...

Shrekking: When Modern Dating Gets Ugly

Sana Richa Choucair, 14/09 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tik Tok

What happens when fairytales meet the brutal realities of modern dating? Welcome to the world of shrekking, the latest Gen Z dating term making waves on TikTok and Instagram. On the surface, it sounds fanciful, even harmless. After all, who doesn’t love Shrek, the green ogre with a heart of gold? But in dating slang, shrekking has little to do ...

French Commission Recommends Banning Social Media for Children Under 15

This is Beirut, 11/09 09:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tik Tok USA France U15

A French parliamentary commission probing the psychological effects of TikTok recommends banning social media for children under 15 and adopting a "digital curfew" for 15- to 18-year-olds, according to a report released Thursday. Such a ban would "send a signal to both children and parents that before the age of 15," social media "is not ...

Cancel Culture: A Word on Trial

Sana Richa Choucair, 07/09 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tik Tok justice cancel

The debate is still alive in 2025: Is cancel culture a tool of justice or a weapon of excess? The term resurfaces regularly, from university debates to international headlines, because it captures one of the defining tensions of our digital era: the balance between accountability and freedom of expression. And with social media platforms now ...

Brain at Risk: Toxic Effect of Short Videos

Bélinda Ibrahim, 27/08 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tik Tok Risk Brain Toxicity Short Videos

You open the app for “just two minutes.” Two hours later, you are still there, eyes glued to the screen, hypnotized by an endless stream of 15-second clips. You are not alone. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts… these little capsules of digital dopamine, designed to flow effortlessly from one to the next, don’t just eat up your time; ...

Brain Rot: The Word That Defines Our Digital Decay

Sana Richa Choucair, 17/08 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tik Tok Screen Focus

Have you ever tried to swipe a printed page like it’s a touchscreen? Then you may have had your first brain rot moment. The phrase exploded across social media in 2023 and 2024, describing what happens when online habits spill into everyday life. Whether it’s quoting TikTok slang in real conversations, interpreting real-world images like ...

How Adolescents Today Access and React to the News

Marilyne Jallad, 07/07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tik Tok USA Lebanon Youth Instagram Facebook

At a time when global headlines are shaped by uncertainty, conflict, climate disruption, and political unrest, how are younger generations getting their news? And how do they make sense of the events shaking both their countries and the wider world? The voices of Generation Alpha and Gen Z—aged 11 to 16, living in Lebanon and abroad—offer a ...

Trump Extends Deadline for TikTok Sale by 90 Days

This is Beirut, 19/06 19:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tik Tok United States

President Donald Trump announced Thursday he had given social media platform TikTok another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States. "I've just signed the executive order extending the deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025)," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, putting off the ban for ...

#SkinnyTok: Anorexia Reflected in a Wordless Screen

David Sahyoun, 18/06 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Tik Tok Psychoanalysis Anorexia Silent Scream SkinnyTok

Beneath TikTok’s dance videos and colorful filters lies a darker reality, a world where adolescents are drawn into a dangerous ideal. Under the hashtag #SkinnyTok, anorexia is not just present, it is glorified. The app gives young people the tools to expose themselves, compare and become captivated by an ideal of thinness that has quietly become ...

Trump Extends TikTok Deadline for Third Time

This is Beirut, 18/06 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tik Tok USA Technology

US President Donald Trump will this week give TikTok a fresh 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer, the White House said Tuesday, the third time he has put off a threatened ban on the popular app. A federal law requiring TikTok's sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump's January ...

Syrians Hope for Economic Recovery After West Lifts Sanctions

This is Beirut, 22/05 14:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

European Union Abbas Halabi Damascus Saudi Arabia Tik Tok

At a currency exchange in Damascus, Anas al-Shammaa is one of many Syrians hopeful that promised relief from Western sanctions will help revive their country's economy after years of war and isolation. "We were totally cut off from the world," said Shammaa, 45, who has been running the exchange shop since 2008. With the lifting of ...

Lebanon’s $30 Million Digital Ad Boom Bypasses Local Media

Liliane Mokbel, 10/05 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Hezbollah Israel Tik Tok

Despite a near-total freeze in ad campaigns since September 2024, triggered by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, digital advertising emerged as a clear winner in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), ad spending on platforms like Meta, TikTok and Google reached $30 ...