The NBC soap opera "Days of our Lives" is getting its own spinoff for Peacock.
NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, announced Monday that it has ordered five episodes of "Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem." The series will feature both past and present characters of the series, including Deidre Hall as Dr. Marlena Evans, Lisa Rinna as Billie Reed and Jackée Harry as Paulina Price. Additional casting is still to be announced.
As its name suggests, "Beyond Salem" will take place away from the fictional town of Salem, Illinois, and follow characters traveling for a long weekend, visiting Zurich, New Orleans, Phoenix or Miami as they're caught up in a case of stolen jewels. This is where Rinna's character, Billie, comes in as she's an International Security Alliance agent who will be on the case.
"Days of our Lives" has been renewed through September 2023.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More