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Survey: This is the most distracting app for teens

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Teen boy looks at a phone.

For U.S. teens who use TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, one of the apps stands out as more of a distraction than the others, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center.

More than a quarter of teens shared that they spend too much time on TikTok, while more than a third said the app negatively affects their sleep. Twenty-nine percent of respondents said TikTok hurts their productivity. Smaller shares of teens reported similar feelings about Instagram and Snapchat.

Still, eight in 10 teens said they turned to TikTok specifically for entertainment. While respondents also considered Instagram and Snapchat reliably entertaining, teens were more likely to use those apps to keep up with friends and family, compared to TikTok.

Despite acknowledging TikTok's negative impact on their sleep and productivity, 71 percent of teens said the app neither hurt or helped their mental health. Three-quarters of teens said the same of Instagram and Snapchat. Nineteen percent of respondents shared that TikTok actually improved their mental health.

In general, about seven in 10 teens said their experiences on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are mostly positive. Only three percent reported largely negative experiences. The remaining teens characterize their engagement on the platforms as a mix of both good and bad.

The findings are based on Pew Research Center's survey of 1,458 U.S. teens and their parents last fall.

Critics have argued that social media companies are facing a "Big Tobacco moment" following a landmark court case against Meta and YouTube, which alleged that both platforms were negligently designed in ways that harmed a young user's mental health. TikTok and Snapchat settled with the plaintiff prior to the jury trial. A separate trial against Meta found the company liable for misleading consumers about child safety.

The Pew Research Center survey, which was conducted well before the trials ended, suggests that teens may feel less negative about TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat than expected.

Regardless, a quarter of parents surveyed by Pew Research Center said that social media hurt their teen's mental health while only eight percent of the teens said the same. Parents were also more likely to say their teen spent too much time on social media.

When it came to TikTok, only 28 percent of teens characterized their use in this way, but that figure increased to 44 percent when parents answered the same question.

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See Spotifys most-streamed artists, songs, and albums of the past 20 years

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Taylor Swift greets fans at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards

To celebrate 20 years of streaming, Spotify just released lists of the most-streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and audiobooks on the app. Popular artists, rappers, and bands like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and Coldplay appear repeatedly on the "Spotify at 20" lists, with Swift nabbing the title of most-streamed Spotify artist of all time.

In a blog post, Spotify said it was the first time they had ever revealed the all-time top performers on the platform.

While the top artists are mostly what you'd expect, there are a handful of surprises on the lists. Britney Spears appears once, but only in the audiobooks section. And neither Jay-Z nor Beyoncé appears on the lists at all.

You can find the complete "Spotify at 20" lists at the Spotify website, or keep scrolling to see the top results.

Top 20 most-streamed artists on Spotify

  • Taylor Swift

  • Bad Bunny

  • Drake

  • The Weeknd

  • Ariana Grande

  • Ed Sheeran

  • Justin Bieber

  • Billie Eilish

  • Eminem

  • Kanye West

  • Travis Scott

  • BTS

  • Post Malone

  • Bruno Mars

  • J Balvin

  • Rihanna

  • Coldplay

  • Kendrick Lamar

  • Future

  • Juice WRLD

Most-streamed albums on Spotify

  • Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny

  • Starboy by The Weeknd

  • ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran

  • SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo

  • After Hours by The Weeknd

  • SOS by SZA

  • Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone

  • Lover by Taylor Swift

  • AM by Arctic Monkeys

  • WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish

Most-streamed songs on Spotify

  • “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

  • “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran

  • “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood

  • “Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk

  • “As It Was” by Harry Styles

  • “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi

  • “Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” by Post Malone and Swae Lee

  • “One Dance” by Drake, Wizkid, and Kyla

  • “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran

  • “STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber

Most-streamed podcasts on Spotify

  • The Joe Rogan Experience

  • Gemischtes Hack

  • Crime Junkie

  • Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

  • Last Podcast On The Left

  • The Daily

  • Fest & Flauschig

  • Morbid

  • My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

  • Relatos de la Noche

Most-streamed audiobooks in Premium on Spotify

  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

  • I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

  • Lights Out by Ted Koppel

  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

  • The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

  • The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

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Samsung is selling refurbished Galaxy Z Fold 7 phones for more than new ones

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 in folded form

The good news is that Samsung is now selling cheaper versions of last year's foldables. The bad news is that "cheaper" is relative.

The Korean tech giant announced on Wednesday that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, two phones we at Mashable really liked a year ago, are now available in refurbished form via the company's "Re-Newed" program. You can check out refurbished Fold and Flip phones on Samsung's websites, with the former starting at $1,699 and the latter at $939. In a vacuum, if you go by the phones' suggested retail prices, those are discounts of $300 and $160, respectively.

The only problem, as 9to5Google pointed out, is that you can currently get a brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 7 on Samsung's website for $1,599, which is less than the refurbished model with the same specs. The same goes for the brand new Flip 7, which Samsung is selling for $899, a slight discount from the refurbished model. Of course, the discounted prices of the new phones could just be temporary, while the refurbished prices might stay the same over time, but it still feels a little bit backward that the new phone costs less than the refurbished one right now.

That said, either way, you're getting a deal compared to the devices' launch prices. And, for what it's worth, both phones are very good foldable devices. If you want one, this might be the time to get one.

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The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for half off — save $750

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the anker solix c2000 gen 2 on a pink and purple background

SAVE $750: The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $749, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 50% discount.



Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2

Credit: Anker Solix

$749
at Amazon

$1,499
Save $750

Summer is on its way, and with it come two scenarios where we tend to go off-grid — while camping and during the much less fun summer storms. In both cases, it's no one's idea of a great time to have a phone run out of batteries or have zero lighting. Instead of dealing with the inconvenience, upgrade to a portable power station. There's a great model from Anker on sale today.

As of April 23, the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 is on sale for $749 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $1,499. That's a massive 50% discount that takes $750 off the normal price.

We have plenty of options when it comes to choosing a portable power station these days, but if you're looking for something in the 2,000-Wh range, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 could be your best bet. It focuses on quick recharging, taking under 60 minutes to reach 100 percent. Since it's a higher-powered unit, you can expect a continuous output of 2,400W with a peak surge of 4,000W.

In real-life terms, Anker says the Solix C2000 Gen 2 can keep a refrigerator running for as long as 32 hours or keep the WiFi router on for 105 hours. Of course, you could also power the TV, espresso machine, a blender, a CPAP machine, or a garage chest freezer.

Despite its powerful performance, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 is surprisingly small. It measures about 18 inches long and 10 inches in both height and depth. The weight clocks in at about 41 pounds, which is made easier to carry around thanks to the stable side handles.

In addition to recharging with standard wall AC power, you can use your car's alternator, a car cigarette port, a gas generator, or solar panels. With 800W of solar input, the C2000 Gen 2 will get a full charge in about three hours.

Before the summer storms roll in or you take off on a camping trip, make the upgrade to the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2. It's on sale at Amazon for 50% off, which saves shoppers a whopping $750.

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