Axios Boston

April 10, 2026
Welcome, finally, to Friday.
- The push for strict new social media age limits might be broader than lawmakers thought, while the family of Stephenson King Jr. demands body camera footage from his fatal shooting.
☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 67 and a low of 47.
Today's newsletter is 1,004 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Critics warn bill could ban YouTube, Wikipedia
The Massachusetts House wants the Commonwealth to become the most restrictive state in the country for young people on the Internet, but some worry the bill goes much too far.
Why it matters: Critics argue the House's bill trades child safety for a surveillance state and may accidentally ban platforms children use every day.
State of play: Legislation passed this week by the House would ban cell phones from schools and require social media platforms to verify user ages.
- Mass. residents could be forced to submit government IDs, facial scans or even biometric data to tech companies to prove their age, according to state Reps. Erika Uyterhoeven and Mike Connolly, the only Democrats who voted against the bill.
The big picture: The bill defines a social media platform as any online service that "displays content primarily generated by users and allows users to create, share and view user-generated content with other users."
- Digital rights group Fight for the Future warns the definition is so broad it could sweep up nearly the entire internet, including Wikipedia and other sites with user-generated content.
- The bill does not single out individual social networks or websites and would instruct the state attorney general to come up with more specific regulations.
Between the lines: Opponents argue the bill's vague language puts platforms popular with minors far beyond Facebook and Instagram in the crosshairs.
- Even YouTube could fit the bill's definition, as its model centers on user-created and shared videos.
- Roblox — built around users creating, sharing and playing games together — could also qualify.
What they're saying: "What distinguishes the big tech social media companies from the rest of the internet is not actually very clear," Harvard Law School cybersecurity and online privacy lecturer Timothy Edgar told Axios.
- "We need to think very carefully about the ramifications of what that would mean for innovation on the internet and what that would mean for the openness and freedoms that we all enjoy," he said.
What's next: The bill is in the hands of the Senate, which passed its own bill last year, focusing exclusively on removing cell phones from classrooms.
- The Senate could accept, strip out or renegotiate the House's social media mandates before any bill reaches Gov. Maura Healey's desk.
2. King family demands video
The family of Stephenson King Jr., the Dorchester man fatally shot by a Boston police officer last month, demanded body camera footage of the incident be released.
State of play: The case is drawing high-profile legal firepower on both sides.
- Alongside the family at the announcement was civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in police killings.
- Officer Nicholas O'Malley has enlisted the legal aid of defense attorney David Yannetti, whose previous clients include Karen Read.
Catch up quick: Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden charged O'Malley with manslaughter after the March 11 shooting in Roxbury.
- Investigators said O'Malley shot King through the driver's side window as he fled in a stolen car, per CBS News Boston.
- Yannetti called the manslaughter charge an overreach, drawing a parallel to the Read case.
Context: King's family said he had been involved with the criminal justice system for years before falling through the cracks after release.
- King had a mental health crisis the day of his death, according to his family, and was at the hospital shortly before the encounter with police.
Between the lines: Axios filed a public records request for the body camera video, but was denied.
What's next: Hayden faces re-election this year and at least two challengers, including his predecessor, former Suffolk County D.A. Rachael Rollins.
3. 🔙 BTMU: "LawrenceGate"
🚆 The MBTA sold 17,450 roundtrip tickets at $80 each for commuter rail service to Gillette Stadium during five World Cup matches. (Universal Hub)
- That's about $1.4 million in a single day.
- Nearly 11,000 tickets sold in the first hour.
🎙️ The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office launched an investigation into Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña over allegations that his office secretly recorded conversations at City Hall. (WBUR)
- State police executed a search warrant and seized audio equipment Monday.
- The Lawrence City Council president called the situation "LawrenceGate," while a police union called for the mayor's resignation.
4. 🚆 Tracking the T
Subway service in March was a mixed bag for riders as significant signal work on the Red Line led to a noticeable slowdown, while the Orange Line managed to pick up speed despite ongoing construction.
🔴 The Red Line averaged 22.0 mph, a slight dip from earlier in the winter.
🟠 The Orange Line saw a bit of an improvement from February, even with shuttle buses replacing service on the southern end of the line for a portion of the month.
🔵 The Blue Line continued its run as the most stable line.
🟢 The Green Line averaged 11.6 mph, slipping slightly from gains made earlier in the year.
Grade: B-
Alerts: None! The T is moving without any shutdowns, shuttles or service suspensions next week.
5. 🫰🏻 America's top tippers

Delaware, West Virginia, New Hampshire and Indiana are home to America's best tippers, with diners leaving roughly 21% or higher on average, according to Toast data.
- It's 19.3% in Massachusetts, higher than the national 18.8% average.
The other side: At the bottom of the list for overall tipping are California, Washington, D.C., and Washington state, where averages run under 18%.
6. ⁉️ News Quiz
Ready to test your knowledge of the week's news?
- Click here to take our quiz and tell us how you did!
Send a screenshot of your perfect score to [email protected] this morning for the glory of a shoutout next week!
Deehan is away for a little while, so you behave yourself, Boston.
Steph worked from the Substation yesterday and met Zadie the dog.
This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.
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