Trends and Topics in Print Media

Every Monday morning, a team of Access media mavens gathers to read the latest trends and topics covered in print media (yes, we still read print media!). The team shares these insights agency wide to ensure we’re all informed and equipped for the week ahead. Every week, we’ll share learnings from the consumer, business and tech spaces here on the Access Point.

This week, we learned about TikTok’s latest obstacle and how brands are dealing with rising Coronavirus fears.

• You Must Be 13 or Older to Use this App

By now, we all know that the latest social media craze, especially among young people, is TikTok. The company’s latest dilemma? It’s too popular with children. The app has been struggling to screen out users who are under 13 years of age while trying to broaden the app’s appeal to adults. The company is required by law to remove all videos made by children under 13, yet data shows that 70% of ten-year-old girls who have a smart phone use TikTok. This is an extreme example of a reoccurring issue in the tech industry: “companies struggle to verify the ages of their users without demanding personal information.” (Georgia Wells and Yoree Koh, The Wall Street Journal)

• Brands Tackling Coronavirus

As the coronavirus continues to spread infecting both people and the global economy, it also continues to overtake the news. And it’s not only travel companies that are feeling the impacts of the virus. Many companies that outsource production to China, including Apple, Puma and Adidas are feeling the impact as factories remain closed overseas. Another global giant feeling the impact is Amazon. Some suppliers have cut back on advertising and promotions on the site, so they don’t run out of products too quickly. Amazon also sent out an urgent email to brands about Prime Day, addressing possible inventory issues that could arise from factory shutdowns in China (New York Times, Wall Street Journal).