The Know Daily - Wednesday 2 September 2026

_{Read in 4m 09s ∙ Listening to Ian Munsick ∙}

Forget books – this library wants to get you outside. Colorado has launched a “nature library” where you can borrow everything you need for an outdoor adventure, from birdwatching kits and telescopes to tents and snowshoes. The idea is to make exploring nature more accessible, whether you fancy trying something new or simply want an excuse to spend less time indoors. Where do we sign up?

📱 Meta’s big ruling

Meta has agreed to an $18bn settlement in the US over claims that its platforms harmed young users. But what does that mean for the rest of us using social media?

So, what happened?
Meta has agreed to make a series of changes to Facebook and Instagram as part of a huge settlement involving claims brought by 29 US states. The company has denied wrongdoing. At the centre of the case were allegations that Meta had designed its platforms in ways that encouraged young people to spend more time on them.

What will actually change?
Meta is making several changes for teenager wellbeing, including:
🛡️ Safety features being automatic rather than requiring users to switch them on.
⌛ A two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook, which can only be switched off with a parent’s permission. 
🤫 Muted notifications between midnight and 06:00 and during school hours. 
🚫 Stopping young users from accessing age-restricted content.

Does this affect everyone?
Not directly. The changes are focused on teen accounts in the US, so this isn’t a case of every Instagram and Facebook user suddenly getting a two-hour limit. However, the decision could have wider implications. According to The Guardian, the case could encourage other countries and platforms to consider similar measures, particularly as governments around the world look at how to make social media safer for children.

Why is it such a big deal?
It marks a shift in how platforms approach online safety. Rather than relying on young users or their parents to find and activate safety features, the idea is that stronger protections should be built in from the start. And Meta isn’t the only company facing scrutiny. Other major platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Discord, are also facing lawsuits in the US over claims about the impact of their services on young users. As the New York Times reports, the ruling has been compared to the “Big Tobacco” moment. 

What happens next?
The settlement could become a test case for how far governments and courts are prepared to go in regulating social media. There are also questions around how age checks will work: Meta has agreed to use identification or facial-recognition systems to help establish whether someone is a teenager, but privacy campaigners have raised concerns about the amount of personal information this could involve. 

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😴 The eight-hour sleep rule may not work for everyone, with research suggesting people need different amounts of shut-eye.

• The bigger story: Researchers have looked at sleep in hunter-gatherer communities in Tanzania, Namibia and Bolivia, where people slept between 5.7 and 7.1 hours a night without artificial light or alarm clocks. Other research suggests the amount of sleep linked to good health varies between individuals, with seven to nine hours generally recommended for adults. 

✉️ Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer has decided to step down from his role as a backbench MP. 

🇮🇳 The first underground fish ever documented from the Ganges Basin has been discovered living in a well in the Indian state of Bihar. 

💡 China’s leftover renewable energy could power the UK for more than a year, a new report has found. 

🧠 Scientists have grown a tiny human brain in the lab that kept maturing for more than five years, giving us a window into how brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s develop.

💸 The 50 highest-paying jobs in the UK have been revealed, with jobs in the sustainability sector receiving an increase averaging 4.1%.

✈️ Fancy swapping the usual European hotspots for somewhere a little less obvious? Then check out this round-up of 30 underrated cities worth putting on your travel list.

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Trivia answer: C) A new survey saw travellers from this country come out on top as the world’s most polite.

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