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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Another description of hot chocolate.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 27 Hurdle Word 1 answer

COCOA

Hurdle Word 2 hint

The clinical term for snot.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for September 27 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MUCUS

Hurdle Word 3 hint

The worth of something.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for September 27 Hurdle Word 3 answer

VALUE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

It's at the back of your throat.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for September 27 Hurdle Word 4 answer

UVULA

Final Hurdle hint

To complain a lot.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

WHINY

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for September 27

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, September 27, 2024:

AcrossAptly named brand of road and mountain bikes

• The answer is Trek.

"CD"

• The answer is Seedy.

"XL"

• The answer is Excel.

Make amends

• The answer is Atone.

Alternative to Yahoo! or AOL

• The answer is MSN.

DownMuch political campaign outreach these days

• The answer is Texts

Mission for a scout, for short

• The answer is Recon.

Garden with forbidden fruit

• The answer is Eden.

Friend of Kenny, Stan and Cartman on "South Park"

• The answer is Kyle.

Feature that some undergarments claim not to have (but it's often just less noticeable)

• The answer is Seam.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for September 27 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for September 27 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Medieval marvel

These words are noble homes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The answers are all related to castles and their features.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Castle.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for September 27

• Keep

• Castle

• Moat

• Drawbridge

• Wall

• Turret

• Tower

• Courtyard

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for September 27

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, a new budget-friendly, mid-range phone unveiled on Thursday, is designed to allow users to experience some of the Galaxy S24 series' bells and whistles — without spending nearly $900.

I spent about two hours with the new Galaxy S24 FE. As someone who uses the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra every day, I was curious to see whether I'd notice a stark difference between the two.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Granted, we're comparing apples and oranges here. A better comparison would be the new Galaxy S24 FE (starts at $649.99) and the entry-level Galaxy S24 (starts at $859.99). They share more of the same specs and the price difference between the two is only $210.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, priced at a steep $1,299, is nearly $650 more than the Galaxy S24 FE. Still, I didn’t anticipate such a dramatic difference — and boy was I way off.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE hands-on

The moment I picked up the Galaxy S24 FE, I said, "Whoa!"

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Only after holding the FE did I realize how luxurious my Ultra, with its refined titanium frame, truly feels.

Galaxy S24 Ultra - Corning Gorilla Armor (on the back), Corning Gorilla Armor (on the front), and titanium frame

Galaxy S24 FE - Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (on the back), Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, and aluminum frame

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, unsurprisingly, doesn't feel as robust. If I didn't know any better, and you told me the Galaxy S24 FE was demo unit of sorts, I would have believed you.

Meanwhile, my Galaxy S24 Ultra feels like it's full of heft, density, and gravitas. If both were personified as wrestlers in a ring, you'd definitely be concerned for the Galaxy S24 FE while the Ultra model flexes its brawn.

The Galaxy S24 FE is also much lighter, which I thought I'd appreciate — but I don't. You know that satisfaction you get from wearing a high-end watch? It's heavier and more solid, and as such, it feels more quality. A budget watch, on the other hand, feels lighter and more flimsy.

This isn't to say that the Galaxy S24 FE is delicate — it's definitely not. It's still a well-crafted phone, but coming from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, you can really feel the difference.

The display threw me off

Again, keep in mind, that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the display that I'm accustomed to.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

And it comes with the following specs:

• 6.8 inches

• 1,440 x 3,120-pixel resolution

• 2,600 nits of peak brightness

The 6.7-inch Galaxy S24 FE has a familiar size that's not too far off from my 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra, but with a 1,080 x 2,340-pixel resolution OLED screen, I noticed the difference right away.

The rich and vivid colors that I enjoyed on my Galaxy S24 Ultra were slightly reduced. There was also a minor loss of sharpness and detail. The Galaxy S24 FE, by itself, is well saturated, but compared to my Galaxy S24 Ultra, the budget model doesn't do it for me.

I'm also not a fan of the wider bezels on the FE model. On the plus side, I love how zippy it was to navigate on the Galaxy S24 FE with its 120Hz variable refresh rate. That's an experience that matches my Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Colors don't fit my taste

My Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in a striking Titanium Yellow color, which makes it look as if it's been dipped in gold.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Yellow Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The Galaxy S24 FE phones have pastel vibes, meaning they're devoid of vividness.

Credit: Samsung

As someone who prefers rich, deep colors, my only option is Graphite, which is miles better than the other offerings: (barely-there) Blue, (merely) Mint, and (ghostly) Gray.

Cameras are OK

Keep in mind that I only had two hours with the Galaxy S24 FE, but I shrugged when I took a selfie with the phone's 10MP front-facing camera.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

One of the best selling points of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is its selfie camera. Whenever I take selfies with my friends, even the iPhone snobs, they gush about how good the 12MP selfie lens is.

When I briefly tested the 10MP selfie lens, I was neither blown away nor disappointed; the picture was just OK.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

I guess I expected better color reproduction. Again, it's not bad. I'm just used to the impressive pictures that the Galaxy S24 Ultra takes.

Galaxy AI is a fun addition

I'm relieved that Samsung didn't reserve Galaxy AI for its flagship lineup. Galaxy AI may not be perfect, but it's been fun to explore on my Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE series Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Whether you want to remove an object in a photo, need to communicate in a foreign language, or summarize a long-winded story, Galaxy AI has your back.

Conclusion: I'm too bougie for the Galaxy S24 FE

I get that some folks downgrade from a high-end phone once it’s run its course and splurging isn’t feasible, but I’d feel totally disoriented if I had to move from the Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Galaxy S24 FE.

I know what you're thinking. "Duh! Of course the Galaxy S24 FE doesn't come close to the Galaxy S24 Ultra." As I mentioned at the outset, I'm aware of this and even made a point to say that the Galaxy S24 base model would be a better comparison.

However, this hands-on was meant to highlight how taken aback I was regarding the stark differences between my Galaxy S24 Ultra. If you ever wondered if the Pro Maxes, Ultras, and XLs of the world are truly that distinct from their budget counterparts, the answer is a resounding yes.

The differences are far more pronounced than I expected, leaving me with an even greater appreciation for my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Still, the Galaxy S24 FE appears to be solid sub-$700 phone with a 50MP wide camera that matches the Galaxy S24 (though not as good as the 200MP lens on my Galaxy S24 Ultra), Galaxy AI support, and a slightly bigger battery.

Once I receive a review unit, I’ll shift my focus and assess it through the eyes of a mid-range phone user, putting aside my spoiled experience with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra $1,049.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for September 27's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for September 27 What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 27 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Plateaus

• Green: Very important

• Blue: Managing a football team

• Purple: Famous sci-fi flicks

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Area of High Ground

• Green: Significance

• Blue: Actions in Fantasy Sports

• Purple: Sci-Fi Movies, With "The"

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #474 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Area of High Ground: BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND

• Significance: GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT

• Actions in Fantasy Sports: BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE

• Sci-Fi Movies, With "The": ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

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Creating content with AI is a game-changer, but let’s be honest — it doesn’t always hit the mark when it comes to sounding natural. Whether you’re a blogger, marketer, or student, you’ve probably found yourself tweaking AI-generated text to make it sound more human, more you. It’s a time-consuming process, and not everyone has the time or patience to edit every sentence. For a limited time, you can get lifetime access to the Undetectable AI content app, available at the Mashable Shop for £29.81 (reg. £805.16).

This tool is designed to refine that content to be engaging, relatable, and authentic. With a few clicks, you can transform AI-generated text into something that reads like it was crafted by a skilled writer. It takes the raw output of your AI tools and gives it that human touch, saving you time and effort while improving the overall quality.

Whether you’re working on a blog post, marketing campaign, or social media caption, Undetectable AI polishes your text, making it more persuasive and impactful. Enjoy endless opportunities to fine-tune your content.

Elevate your writing, connect with your audience, and make AI-generated content truly your own with a lifetime subscription to Undetectable AI on sale for £29.81 for a limited time.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Evaris Media Undetectable AI: Lifetime Subscription £29.81 at the Mashable Shop
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Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for September 27's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 27 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Complete trust in one's beliefs.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

FAITH.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

Hurricane Helene is strengthening as expected, and landfall will occur on the Big Bend coast of Florida Thursday night. Traffic, however, will not wait for landfall to occur.

Tweet may have been deleted

During a major hurricane, road conditions can be affected not just by flooding and crashes, but by road damage, precautionary closures, or just too many people on the road.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Helene: Watch Florida webcams live, including Panama City, Port St. Joe SEE ALSO: Hurricane Helene update: Track the Florida landfall path

Fortunately you can check out live video feeds along your itinerary before you depart, and leave less to chance if you need to be out on the roads.

How to stay aware of road conditions during Hurricane Helene Credit: Florida Department of Transportation

As you're probably aware, the Florida Department of Transportation operates a site called FL511, and it aggregates live video feeds along Florida's roads and highways (some of which tend to be inoperable at any given time).

Credit: Florida Department of Transportation

The FL511 map overlays information on top of the Google Maps display of Florida.

Enter your starting point and destination in the info box on the left side, or right click on a location to draw up an itinerary.

To see live video along your specific route, find the box for "Traffic Cameras" and click it (assuming it's not already clicked).

Credit: Florida Department of Transportation

To bring up an actual live video, click one of the camera icons.

Credit: Florida Department of Transportation

The FDOT also advises motorists to check FL511 for potential alternative routes in the event that conditions mandate road closures, which they almost certainly will on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Tweet may have been deleted

In other words, check in with FDOT's map early and often to make sure your route is actually your route during Hurricane Helene.

OpenAI doesn't want to be so open anymore.

According to a new report, OpenAI — the organization that burst onto the scene with the release of its popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, in 2022 — is looking to restructure into a for-profit company.

Much to the chagrin of its biggest critics, like former investor Elon Musk, OpenAI has been slowly moving away from the non-profit ethos it was initially founded on. OpenAI was originally founded in 2015 as a non-profit organization. In 2019, a for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit was set up, and the organization has been headed in that direction ever since. 

SEE ALSO: OpenAI is reportedly going all-in as a for-profit company

OpenAI is now looking to make its evolution into a for-profit company complete by shedding the non-profit board that controls it.

OpenAI looks to shed non-profit's power

In its current state, a non-profit organization sits atop OpenAI's business operations and controls the for-profit business' operations. This was set up in an attempt to keep true to part of OpenAI's original mission of ensuring a "safe AGI that is broadly beneficial." Potential dangers with AI, namely AI that surpasses its human creators, had once been a concern at the forefront of the organization. 

Late last year, the board's role and those concerns were thrust into the headlines after the non-profit board fired OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, setting off a chain of events that eventually landed Altman back at the head of the company. Altman was accused by some of his peers of putting AI safety issues aside in order to focus on growth at the for-profit company.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI Strawberry might release sooner than expected. Everything we know so far.

Investors, such as companies like Microsoft, have put billions of dollars into OpenAI. Even with these big investments, as OpenAI critic Ed Zitron recently pointed out, OpenAI is on track to lose billions this year. As these Big Tech companies seek returns on their investments, it seems inevitable that OpenAI will continue to focus on its profit motives. But, to fully do that, the non-profit board has to go – and it appears Altman is in the midst of doing that.

On Wednesday, the same day this report was published, OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati announced she was leaving the company. Shortly after Murati's announcement, OpenAI’s chief research officer Bob McGrew and VP of research Barret Zoph both announced their intention to leave the organization as well.

OpenAI appears to be undergoing big change as the organization restructures everything from how the company operates to its executive offices. While OpenAI says its non-profit will continue to exist, it will only own a minority stake in the for-profit company. OpenAI will seemingly take more risks in order to turn a profit, operating more so as a standard tech startup than before. But, it's unclear whether those risks will solve the for-profit company's financial issues or leave a net positive impact on society as a whole.

Finances can be a confusing space to navigate, and often, social media feels like a place that might make it make sense. People talk honestly about their financial woes online, and it can make you feel more open to following their advice — mainly because you don't have to pay for it,

Influencers on TikTok will tell you to get a high-yield savings account, or maybe they'll tell you not to. They tell you how to invest or get an unstressful job you like that pays well. They tell you what you're doing wrong — which, it turns out, is probably everything. They break down their paychecks and tell you why the advice you're following — on the very site you're following them — is messed up.

If that seems confusing, it's because it is. A new report by Edelman Financial Engines found that "more than a quarter of social media users (and 42% in their 30s) said they believed financial advice or information on social media that turned out to be false or misleading."

According to the report, since the vast majority of the population uses social media, and so many of us spend over three hours on it every day, we're exposed to "curated lifestyles and consumerism can come at a cost." The report shows that a quarter of users say they feel dissatisfied with their own personal wealth after using social media and comparing themselves to those online — and it's worse for younger generations.

SEE ALSO: What's so special about a Stanley? A guide to conspicuous consumption on TikTok.

"Americans, who tend to spend the most time on these platforms, are particularly vulnerable: 42% of those in their 30s have fallen prey to bad advice, and 2 in 10 (19%) have been duped multiple times," the report states. "Men are also more likely to believe misinformation online."

This comes at a time in which young people — those between the ages of 22-24 — are "more likely to be delinquent on credit cards and car loans than the generation before them," according to the Washington Post, and Gen Z debt loans have increased faster than their incomes. Of course, it's not particularly surprising that users are willing to do just about anything to get out of it; half of all Americans with debt even said they'd disclose private and personal information online if it meant their debt would be erased, the Edlemen report showed.

"Don’t let scrolling impact your financial decisions," the report reads. "As a society, we’re spending more time online and on social media than ever before, and there’s probably no changing that. But that shouldn’t mean we let our guard down against the bad advice and misinformation that’s out there. Younger generations are most susceptible to this content, so make sure to also encourage your kids to seek out guidance from qualified professionals instead of viral trends."

Helene is, as of this writing on Thursday afternoon, a "dangerous major hurricane," and conditions are expected to rapidly worsen in the next several hours as landfall approaches.

Tweet may have been deleted

The west coast of the Florida peninsula saw storm surge and rain all day, but what was visible Thursday may be deceptive, as this intensifying storm will be significantly more violent and dangerous for the Big Bend — along with areas to its north — than it was for the rest of the state.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Helene update: Track the Florida landfall path

The following webcams are in or near NOAA's forecast cone for Helene, meaning they're likely to be directly in the path of the center of the hurricane. As these spots take what may be a direct hit, the full power of Hurricane Helene can be better understood by watching it in action.

Landfall view of the webcam at Turtley Rad Cut on St. George Island

At the approximate western limit of NOAA's forecast cone is the inhabited section of St. George Island, a barrier island across the Apalachicola Bay from the mainland. This webcam usually shows a placid swimming beach called Bob Sike's Cut. It may soon not show any land at all.

SEE ALSO: Hurricane Helene: Watch Florida webcams live, including Panama City, Port St. Joe Webcam in Steinhatchee, Florida during Hurricane Helene

Around the eastern limit of the forecast cone is Steinhatchee, a community in Taylor County. This webcam view — situated at a dock behind a seafood restaurant — faces inland from the mouth of the Steinhatchee River, where it empties into Deadman Bay. The visible effects of storm surge on the river tonight will be dramatic, and the webcam will shift into its night vision mode to broadcast them .

"John Wick" spin-off "Ballerina" hits theaters June 6.

California has taken a huge step in protecting children placed in the online spotlight, passing two new pieces of legislation providing financial safety nets for minors starring in digital content.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was joined at the bill signing by singer and former child star Demi Lovato, who recently made headlines for her appearance in Child Star, a new Hulu documentary about youth working in Hollywood. Lovato championed California's new legislation and spoke about its importance at the event.

SEE ALSO: No more TikTok FYP? California social media bill could totally reshape kids' online world

The first of the new laws establishes financial and legal protections for minors featured in monetized online content, mandating a percentage of earnings gathered from online "performers" be placed in a trust by their parent or guardian. The law also requires those overseeing the kid-related content to create a written statement related to the trust and to keep records on revenue generated and how much money is placed in the trust. The second law expands existing legislation protecting child performers to cover minors "employed as content creators on online platforms."

Both laws, known as SB 764 and AB 1880, are intended to bolster the California Child Actor's Bill, also known as the Coogan Law. Passed in 1939, the law requires employers of child performers to place 15 percent of the young talent's earnings into a Coogan Account (formerly called blocked trust accounts or trust accounts) in order to ensure the minor is afforded a portion of their profit once they turn 18.

"A lot has changed since Hollywood’s early days, but here in California, our laser focus on protecting kids from exploitation remains the same," said Newsom. "In old Hollywood, child actors were exploited. In 2024, it’s now child influencers."

Coogan Law isn't infallible, however, and many industry actors have found legal loopholes to the law's provisions. Most recently, advocates have noted the grey area occupied by online child performers or influencers, including children who feature predominately in family "vlog" content created by their parents. Until recently, online "stars" were not protected under current entertainment law, although some states have moved to pass their own protective legislation.

Children "starring" in online content aren't just at risk for financial exploitation. Other advocates are ringing alarm bells on the social and mental repercussions of invasive sharing of children online, also referred to as "sharenting." In addition to financial protections at the state level, other legislators have proposed privacy laws to provide legal pathways for children who are exploited by their guardians without consent.

"In order to build a better future for the next generation of child stars, we need to put protections in place for minors working in the digital space," said Lovato.

"The Last of Us" Season 2, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, hits HBO and Max in 2025.

Businesses are trying to game Google Maps with fake reviews and Google has had enough.

Google has started restricting profiles of businesses that are found to have hosted fake reviews. On its support website, Google laid out what exactly can happen to such businesses. Some of the possible punishments include, but are apparently not limited to, the following:

• Businesses won't be able to receive new reviews for a set period of time

• Existing reviews will be unpublished for a period of time

• Business profiles will display a warning that they have hosted fake reviews in the past

Tweet may have been deleted

Google started rolling this out initially in the UK earlier this year, but the policy is supposedly global now, per The Verge. That said, I haven't personally seen any warnings like this, so I can't guarantee if they're appearing in the U.S. yet.

SEE ALSO: Google launches new gaming world for kids on Roblox

It's no surprise that businesses would try to exploit the reviews system on Google Maps, given that the app is incredibly popular and one of the most common use cases is to find businesses in a user's area. However, fake reviews could erode trust in the system, so it's probably smart for Google to take increased steps against them.