Consumer News: Meta agrees to $16.68 billion settlement over claims its platforms harmed children

You dont have to be pulled over to get a ticket

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Nineteen states and Washington, D.C., permit speed cameras, although their use is often limited to school zones, dangerous streets, or highway work zones.

• New Yorks highway work-zone cameras collected about $28 million through 2025, while Washington, D.C.s broader camera system generates far more.

• No federal agency tracks nationwide camera revenue, making it impossible to determine exactly how much motorists pay each year.

Lately, you dont need as many police officers to generate fines from speeding tickets.

While Flock cameras that record license plate numbers have sparked a backlash, the smaller deployment of radar-based cameras that automatically generate speeding tickets, are not as much a part of the public conversation.

In fact, speed cameras are not yet a routine fixture along most open stretches of interstate highway. Instead, they are concentrated in cities, school zones, high-crash areas, and highway construction zones. State laws vary widely, with some states embracing automated enforcement and others banning it.

As of the latest nationwide review, 19 states and the District of Columbia have laws permitting speed cameras. Ten states prohibit them, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Some states without a broad law nevertheless allow cameras in specific communities or under limited pilot programs.

The result is a patchwork that can be confusing for travelers. A driver may pass through several states without seeing a speed camera, then enter a highway work zone where mobile equipment automatically records vehicles traveling above the enforcement threshold.

Highway cameras remain concentrated in work zones

New York is among the states that have expanded automated enforcement on major highways. Its mobile cameras operate in active work zones on interstates, parkways, and other controlled-access roads.

Between the programs launch in April 2023 and the end of 2025, New York deployed mobile enforcement units more than 9,100 times and issued over 600,000 notices, according to the states 2026 program report.

The cameras recorded drivers traveling more than 10 mph above the posted limit. A first violation carries a $50 penalty, with higher fines for repeat offenses.

New York collected approximately $28.2 million through the end of 2025. After roughly $16.1 million in expenses, the program had produced cumulative net revenue of approximately $12.4 million.

State law requires at least 60% of net proceeds, after administrative expenses, to fund new work-zone safety projects.

Federal transportation officials support properly administered speed-camera programs as a way to reduce crashes. The Federal Highway Administration cites evidence from Pennsylvania showing a 38% reduction in speeding and reductions of 15% to 50% in work-zone crashes after automated enforcement was introduced.

Cities can collect much larger sums

Urban camera networks can produce far more revenue because they operate at numerous locations throughout the year.

Washington, D.C., has one of the largest automated traffic-enforcement systems in the country. It operates more than 200 stationary speed cameras, along with cameras that detect red-light, stop-sign, and bus-lane violations.

Total District revenue from all types of automated traffic cameras ranged from approximately $140 million to $267 million annually between fiscal years 2023 and 2025, according to the office of D.C.s chief financial officer, as reported by the The Washington Post. Those totals should not be attributed solely to speed cameras.

Smaller cities have also reported significant collections. Middletown, Conn., issued about 86,700 speed-camera citations totaling $5.4 million during its first nine months. The city collected approximately $3.5 million and retained about $2.5 million after expenses.

No national revenue figure exists

Despite the large sums, there is no reliable national estimate of how much speed cameras collect.

Programs are administered by individual states, cities, and counties. Some report the face value of tickets, while others report only collected fines or net proceeds after paying camera vendors and administrative costs. Combining speed-camera and red-light-camera revenue can make comparisons even more difficult.

Taken together, available reports suggest automated speed cameras generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually. But any precise nationwide estimate should not be viewed as reliable.

For consumers, the safest approach is to watch carefully for posted warnings, especially around schools and construction zones. Most programs issue civil penalties to the vehicles registered owner, and a ticket may not add points to a drivers license. However, ignoring it can lead to late fees, collection efforts, or difficulty renewing a vehicle registration, depending on state law.

The tablets could cause hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Vitruvias Therapeutics is recalling one lot of Thyroid Tablets, USP 30 mg because testing found the medication may be stronger than intended.

• Excess thyroid hormone can cause chest pain, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, nervousness and other symptoms.

• Patients should not stop taking the medication without first contacting a healthcare provider for guidance or a replacement prescription.

Vitruvias Therapeutics has issued a nationwide recall of one lot of prescription thyroid medication after testing confirmed that the tablets may be superpotent, meaning they could contain more active thyroid hormone than intended.

The recall covers Thyroid Tablets, USP 30 mg from lot number 504950. The products identifying information is:

• NDC: 69680-166-00

• Lot number: 504950

• Expiration date: Sept. 30, 2026

The affected medication was distributed nationwide to the companys direct accounts between Jan. 31 and Sept. 30, 2025, according to the recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration.

Thyroid Tablets, USP is a natural preparation made from porcine thyroid glands. It contains the thyroid hormones levothyroxine and liothyronine and is prescribed to treat hypothyroidism, commonly known as an underactive thyroid.

Why the medication may be dangerous

Taking thyroid medication that is stronger than labeled can expose patients to excessive levels of thyroid hormones and cause hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid.

Possible symptoms include weight loss, heat intolerance, fatigue, nervousness, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, chest pain, rapid heartbeat and abnormal heart rhythms.

The risks may be especially serious for older adults, pregnant women and infants, particularly when exposure continues over an extended period.

In older patients, excessive thyroid hormone levels have been linked to adverse cardiac outcomes. Overtreatment during pregnancy may increase the risk of premature delivery, low birth weight and other complications affecting the mother and fetus. In infants, too much thyroid hormone may negatively affect growth and development.

Vitruvias said it had not received any reports of adverse events associated with the recalled lot as of the recall announcement.

What patients should do

Patients should check their medication packaging for lot number 504950. Those who have the recalled tablets should contact their doctor or pharmacist for instructions and a possible replacement.

The company stressed that patients should not abruptly discontinue thyroid medication without first speaking with a healthcare provider. Suddenly stopping treatment could leave hypothyroidism untreated and create other health risks.

Vitruvias is notifying wholesalers by email and telephone, directing them to stop distributing the affected medication and arranging for recalled products to be destroyed.

Consumers with questions may contact Vitruvias Therapeutics at safety@vitruvias.com or 256-239-9373, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.

Anyone who has experienced a health problem that may be connected to the medication should contact a healthcare provider. Adverse reactions and product-quality issues may also be reported through the FDAs MedWatch program.

The FDA encourages manufacturers to eliminate six petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2027.

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• General Mills says all of its cereals sold in the U.S., including Lucky Charms and Trix, are now made without certified colors.

• The company met the goal on schedule after removing certified colors from all of its foods supplied to K-12 schools earlier this year.

• About 90% of General Mills U.S. retail products have now made the transition, with fruit snacks and baking products next in line.

General Mills has completed the removal of certified colors from its entire U.S. cereal portfolio, changing the recipes of some of the most colorful products in the breakfast aisle.

The company said Wednesday that all its cereals sold in the United States including Lucky Charms and Trix are now made without the synthetic dyes subject to Food and Drug Administration batch certification.

As the leader in cereal, General Mills is focused on giving people what they are looking for from the brands they know and love, Bethany Quam, president of Big G Cereal at General Mills, said in the companys announcement.

Quam said the reformulations are intended to meet changing consumer preferences while preserving taste, quality and value. The FDA encourages manufacturers to eliminate six petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2027.

The company did not identify all the replacement ingredients used in the reformulated cereals in its announcement. Packaging shown by General Mills states that the cereals now contain colors from natural sources. Consumers who want to know what is used in a particular product should check its current ingredient label because older packages may remain on store shelves during the transition.

What are certified colors?

Certified colors is a regulatory term generally covering synthetic dyes and pigments that must undergo FDA batch testing before manufacturers may use them. Common examples include Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2.

Certification is intended to verify that each batch meets federal identity and purity requirements. The term does not mean that natural color additives are unregulated; the FDA must also authorize those ingredients for their intended uses.

The agency says most children do not experience adverse effects from approved color additives, although evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them. Research into possible behavioral effects continues, according to the FDA.

The cereal changes come amid a broader government and industry effort to move away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes. In 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services and FDA announced plans to work with manufacturers to phase out several such dyes and expand the availability of alternatives from other sources.

A wider change is underway

General Mills announced its color-removal goals in June 2025. It completed the first major step in March 2026, when it said all foods it supplies to K-12 schools were being made without certified colors.

Completion of the cereal overhaul brings the company closer to its larger goal of removing certified colors from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027.

General Mills said 90% of that portfolio has now completed the transition. Remaining categories include fruit snacks and baking products.

The food maker is also expanding its selection of products with more protein, fiber and familiar ingredients. General Mills said it plans to introduce more than twice as many products reflecting changing nutrition preferences during the current fiscal year as it did two years ago.

For shoppers, the most visible difference could be in brightly colored cereals. The companys announcement emphasizes that the products will continue to offer familiar taste and quality, but it does not promise that their appearance will be identical to the previous versions.

A few simple habits that could make your phone a better memory tool

• Screenshots may hurt your memory: Research found people remembered less about information they captured than information they simply viewed.

• Dont just screenshot and forget: If something matters, summarize it, save it somewhere useful, or revisit it later.

• Turn screenshots into action: Move appointments to your calendar, recipes to a saved folderm, and important reminders to a place youll actually check.

See a restaurant you want to try? Screenshot it. An important confirmation number? Screenshot. A recipe, gift idea, or interesting article? You know the drill.

But that convenient little habit may come with an unexpected downside.

A new study from researchers at Binghamton University found that people consistently remembered less about information they screenshotted than information they simply viewed. The research, recently highlighted by StudyFinds, involved seven experiments and 892 undergraduate students.

In one experiment, recognition of screenshotted images dropped below 60%, despite participants viewing a relatively small number of images.

Researchers call the phenomenon "digital amnesia."

So should you stop taking screenshots?

Not necessarily. The more useful lesson may be to stop treating the screenshot itself as the final step.

If it's important, do something with it

Researchers aren't certain why screenshotting appears to interfere with memory.

One possibility is cognitive offloading: Once your brain knows the information has been safely stored somewhere else, it may decide it doesn't need to work as hard to remember it.

Another possibility is that taking the screenshot causes you to mentally disengage from what you're looking at.

So give your brain another job.

After taking an important screenshot, spend a few seconds summarizing what you just saved. Instead of simply capturing a restaurant recommendation, for example, tell yourself: "That's the Italian restaurant Sarah recommended in Sacramento." That forces you to actually process the information instead of immediately swiping away.

Pro tip: If something really matters, write a quick note about it. The goal isn't merely to store the information it's to interact with it.

Don't let your camera roll become a junk drawer

Think about how many screenshots are currently sitting on your phone. Now think about how many you've actually looked at twice.

That's particularly relevant because the study tested screenshots that participants didn't review later. Researchers specifically caution that the findings don't tell us what happens when people actively return to saved screenshots.

So, try to create a simple review habit. Once a week, spend five minutes going through recent screenshots. At that point, delete what you no longer need and move useful information somewhere where you'll actually find it again.

A recipe goes into a recipes folder. An appointment goes into your calendar. A product you want to research goes onto a shopping list.

Pro tip: Set a recurring five-minute "screenshot cleanup" reminder. If an image has been sitting there for three months and you can't remember why you saved it, that's probably your answer.

Save the information where you'll need it

A screenshot of an appointment isn't nearly as useful as an appointment entered into your calendar. Neither is a screenshot of a hotel confirmation buried between a meme and a picture of shoes from the department store.

For genuinely important information, use the screenshot as a temporary holding place rather than a place for permanent storage.

Put addresses into contacts, confirmation numbers into trip notes, and deadlines into your calendar with an alert. The information will then become both easier to find and much harder to forget.

Don't screenshot something you're actually trying to learn

This might be the most useful takeaway for students, or anyone trying to remember instructions, directions, or other important information.

If your goal is learning, try to resist the urge to simply capture the screen. Instead, read it. Summarize it in your own words. Explain it to someone else. Then try to quiz yourself on it.

The researchers specifically looked for potential benefits that might compensate for the memory loss, such as freeing up mental resources for other tasks, but found little consistent evidence of one.

There's an important catch

Don't delete your entire screenshot folder because of one study.

Participants were 17 to 27-year-old college students from one university, so researchers say the findings may not apply equally to older adults or people with memory difficulties. And again, the experiments didn't examine what happens when people deliberately revisit their screenshots later.

The main takeaway is that if something is important enough to screenshot, make it important enough to look at again.

Otherwise, you may be saving it to your phone at the same moment your brain decides it doesn't need to save it at all.