AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A push in Texas to ban social media accounts for children under 18 has failed after lawmakers did not take a key vote on creating one of the nation’s toughest restrictions aimed at keeping minors off platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.

The bill, which already passed the GOP-controlled state House, sought to go further than a Florida social media ban for minors under 14. Australia banned social media accounts for anyone under 16.

The legislative session ends Monday and early momentum behind the Texas measure slowed at the eleventh hour in the state Senate as lawmakers face a weekend deadline to send bills to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott has not said publicly whether he supported the proposed ban, which was opposed by tech trade groups and critics who called it it an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

“There was no bill filed this session that would have protected more kids in more ways than this one,” state Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican carrying the measure, said Thursday.

In a post on the social media platform X, Patterson blamed pushback from unnamed “billionaires” as part of the reason for the bill’s failure. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who controls the state Senate, said Wednesday before the deadline he did not know if the bill had the support needed to pass the GOP-controlled chamber, and it was ultimately never brought up for a vote.

Patterson said he’ll try again when the Texas Legislature meets in 2027.

Many tech companies have established a presence in Texas, including X, which is owned by Elon Musk.

Earlier this week, Abbott signed into law a separate measure requiring Apple and Google to verify the age of online app store users, as well as parental consent to download apps and make in-app purchases for users under 18. Utah passed a similar bill earlier this year.

A federal judge in 2024 temporarily blocked Utah’s first-in-the-nation law requiring social media companies to check the ages of all users and place restrictions on accounts belonging to minors.

Samantha Johnson, founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language finger-spelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

BUTLER TWP — Samantha Johnson has been working on her design for a sign language finger-spelling robot for a few years, but on Thursday, May 29, it was able to be demonstrated.

The robotic hand, dubbed “Tatum1,” was just one of the assistive technologies either recently released or soon-to-be released that was presented as part of Lifesteps Assistive Technology’s “Innovations in Technology” sessions.

The robot is designed with deaf-blind individuals in mind, but also has benefits for people with low vision.

“These are folks who cannot hear or see, so therefore they communicate through tactile signings,” Johnson said. “They hold on to the hand of the person they’re signing with. This is basically a computer for deaf-blind individuals, and the same way that you have a screen, they have this hand.”

She started designing the robot as her thesis in grad school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said after social distancing policies, she recognized a need for deaf-blind people to receive information, even when nobody else is available.

Since graduation, she has continued her work, and founded a business around it: Tatum Robotics.

Nearby, Johnson had a video demonstration of a deaf-blind person receiving an emergency alert using the robot. She said it also is able to sign stories, messaging, calling, news, weather and time.

“This is the way that they’re used to communicating … so the idea behind this is to make it so there’s no learning curve. They can just put their hand on it and they know what they’re doing,” Johnson said.

The robot was just one of two products yet to be released that were presented at the event.

Lyman Petrosky, co-founder of ForSight Assistive Devices, is helping to pioneer a technology that aims to give blind people a better sense of spatial awareness.

The device has two parts: a sensor worn on the body, and a set of gloves. Based on the sensor’s readings, the gloves will send tactile feedback based on proximity and direction from the user.

“If somebody walked past you, it’d be as if they were walking across the backs of your fingers,” Petrosky explained. “You can actually sense them passing by. You can even tell roughly how far away they are.”

Pete Andolina is the owner of Alpha-Sensory, a company that works with school districts, Veterans Affairs offices and organizations such as Lifesteps to distribute multiple companies’ assistive technologies.

While he offers an extensive list of products, Andolina brought a select few to show off, such as CloverBook, a portable screen magnifier; LyriQ Auto Reader with enhanced recognition using artificial intelligence; and Envision Glasses, an option for smart glasses technology.

Also in attendance was Butler Eye Care, which presented two other options for smart glasses, Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and Nuance Audio Hearing Glasses. While both glasses were designed with the general population in mind, both offer services that could assist people with hearing or vision impairment.

“Someone who is blind has that stuff right on them,” Diana Petschauer, director of assistive technology for Lifesteps, said. “It describes for them, they’re able to ask if there’s something in my way, stuff like that.”

The event also had a Brava smart oven for display. The oven is designed to be an easier way to make meals, as it has preprogrammed recipes and cooking instructions.

Brava took a step toward accessibility in October, when a software update added an integrated mobile app that gives people with disabilities increased access to the oven. Brava reported assistive technology users quickly learned how to use the oven and became much more confident in cooking for themselves.

“So one gentleman, he’s aging, and it was his wife that always cooked,” Petschauer said. “When she passed away, he didn’t cook, and his kids were worried because he was always doing the microwave meals … So their kids got him Brava. They said he’s a Brava chef now.”

Petschauer said Lifesteps hosts demonstration sessions such as this one to show off assistive technology that might not be readily available at the center. She said she has helped assistive technology users get access to products previously demonstrated.

“Individuals with disabilities can come here not only to explore and get demonstrations, but since I’m an assistive technology professional, I can write the recommendation in a report that can help them … get the funding for it,” Petschauer said.

Lifesteps Assistive Technology plans to host more demonstrations in the future in the hopes of improving assistive technology education and access in the area.

Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a WeWalk Smart Cane during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Morgan Phillips

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  Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a SightCare machine during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Pete Andolina with Alpha-Sensory demonstrates a WeWalk Smart Cane during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

• 

  Samantha Johnson, Founder and CEO of Tatum Robotics, demonstrates a sign language fingerspelling robot during an Innovations in Technology event at Lifesteps Assistive Technology in Butler on Thursday, May 29. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

  Morgan Phillips

By Ian King and Ed Ludlow, Bloomberg

Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said that Chinese AI rivals are filling the void left by the departure of US companies from that market, and their technology is becoming more powerful.

“The Chinese competitors have evolved,” he said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese tech company blacklisted by the US government, has become “quite formidable,” he said.

RELATED: DeepSeek unveils update to R1 model

US restrictions on exports to China have effectively locked Nvidia out of the country, the largest market for chips, and as a result the company expects to lose out on $8 billion in sales this quarter alone. During a quarterly earnings call Wednesday, Huang spent much of the time arguing that the American government should ease the curbs.

Tech companies have slashed well over 400 Bay Area jobs in fresh rounds of employment cutbacks that offer an ominous warning that the industry’s downsizing has yet to run its course.

All told, three tech companies have disclosed plans to chop an estimated 419 jobs in the Bay Area, according to official WARN letters the firms sent to the state Employment Development Department.

LinkedIn, Chegg and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have disclosed their intentions to reduce staffing in the Bay Area, the WARN notices show.

Here are some of the details of the recent disclosures of layoff plans by the tech companies:

— LinkedIn, 270 job cuts, affecting workers in Mountain View, Sunnyvale and San Francisco. Of these, 159 job cuts were planned for Mountain View. The layoffs occurred on May 15, the career-oriented social network stated.

— Chegg, 88 layoffs in Santa Clara. The downsizing occurred May 15, the educational tech company reported.

— Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 61 job cuts in San Jose. The reductions transpired on May 2, the information technology company disclosed.

All of the job cuts were described as permanent.

The staffing reductions come at a time when the Bay Area tech industry is struggling with its pace of hiring.

Tech companies added 100 jobs in the Bay Area in April, according to a Beacon Economics seasonally adjusted estimate of tech industry employment categories it derived from the official state EDD monthly obs report.

Employers added 1,600 tech jobs in the South Bay but slashed 1,200 tech positions in the East Bay and chopped 400 tech jobs in the San Francisco-San Mateo metro area, the Beacon estimate determined.

The puny increase in net tech hiring in the Bay Area was a reminder that rather than being the primary engine for Bay Area employment, the tech industry has begun to drag down the region’s job market.

By Elaine Briseño ( May 29, 2025, 6:24 PM EDT) — A Nevada federal judge refused a sportsbook technology company’s attempt to stay briefings on a motion for sanctions in its trade secrets suit against a former collaborator, ruling the request lacks sufficient justification….

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The news: Energy sector stocks are leading losses on the ASX 200, tracking a decline in oil prices in anticipation of the OPEC+ cartel agreeing to ramp up supply when it meets tomorrow.

The numbers: The energy sector was the worst performing sector in morning trade, down 1.08% at 11:30am AEST.

The 13 largest companies by market cap were all lower, including Woodside (-1.3%), Santos (-1%), Yancoal (-1.2%), and Ampol (-0.8%).

Brent Crude Oil was down 0.5% to US$63.85/barrel while WTI Crude Oil was down 0.4% to US$60.68 a barrel.

The context: The faster-than-expected reinitiation of idle output capacity by OPEC — which accounts for about 40% of global oil supply — is creating oversupply fears.

OPEC+, which includes non-OPEC member oil producers, agreed on Wednesday to establish a mechanism for setting baseline oil production for 2027 and will hold talks on Saturday which could accelerate output for July.