Hi there! It's time for another episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Hope Ngo.

In today's news:

Unbelievable tales from an ancient business, and ways to fight too much screen time.

And for today's Tasty Tidbits….

Think of a country with lots of pyramids. We know which one you're thinking of, but another country has more.

Stay to find out the surprising answer.

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當鋪的奇聞趣事

Amazing Tales from a Pawnshop

A pawn shop is a business that lends money to people.

People who would like to borrow money must bring in something valuable, and leave it with the shop.

Some people bring in jewelry, or even gold, as collateral (抵押品).

If these people pay back the money within a time limit, they can get their valuable item back.

But if they do not, the shop may sell that item to another person, to make money.

Pawnshops are one of the oldest ways of borrowing money.

典當是人類社會最古老的行業之一。

The history of pawning first started in ancient China over 3000 years ago.

They were operated by Buddhist monks who gave loans to peasants (農民) and small businesses.

Pawnshops first emerged in Taiwan when it was still an agricultural society.

At that time, the economy was still growing and many people needed money.

One pawnshop owner in Taiwan says back in those days, people would pawn almost anything.

That includes pots, pans, quilts, and even clothes.

And the shop owner says today, people pawn electronics, jewelry, cars and houses, even gold teeth.

He also says another shop owner once accepted 6 grenades (手榴彈).

The police came by later and confiscated (沒收) the grenades.

They then returned the grenades, after confirming they were replicas (複製品).

The shop owner says a priest who wanted to pawn bulletproof vests.

But the owner says he did not accept these.

Pawnshop owners check online to see if an item has value, and can be sold legally.

The shop owner says the strangest thing he ever accepted, was a golden retriever (黃金獵犬).

But he says most of the time, he does not accept pets, because then he has to take care of them.

Some people think of pawnshops as places for shopping.

Many objects are not redeemed (贖回) by their original owners.

Sometimes, you can buy watches, cars, even musical instruments at a great deal.

But this ancient way of borrowing money does come with some risks.

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歐盟對抗青少年手機成癮

The EU Fights Smartphone Addiction in Youth

It is not news that smartphone addiction is a worldwide situation.

And some are especially worried about adolescents (青少年).

Many parents around the world think a lot about their kids' internet use.

There are lots of debates about social media use and teen mental health.

And some countries are taking action to control the potentially harmful use of social media.

China wants to limit screen time to 40 minutes for children under 8.

The U.S. state of Utah imposed a digital curfew (宵禁) for minors.

And the European Union is starting with its Digital Services Act (DSA).

The DSA requires major social platforms to comply (遵守) to new rules.

Their system must be inspected by the European Commission.

This is to make sure that their products aren't harming children.

The platforms also have to make sure that their algorithms (演算法) don't recommend inappropriate videos to teens.

And "autoplay" would be turned off, so young people don't stay hooked watching videos.

The platforms are also not allowed to track children's online activity, and show them personalized ads.

What if these social media platforms don't follow the rules?

They could face a fine of up to 6 percent of their global revenue (收入).

Many are waiting to see if the idea works.

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So, in today's News Bites:

Pawnshops are one of the oldest ways of borrowing money.

One pawnshop owner in Taiwan says today, people pawn electronics, jewelry, cars and houses, even gold teeth.

But this ancient way of borrowing money does come with some risks.

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And,

The European Union has created new laws for social media platforms to follow.

This is to make sure that their products aren't harming children.

If these social media platforms don't follow the rules, they could face fines.

Many are waiting to see if the idea works.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

When people say pyramids, we think of sand, camels, the sun, and probably Egypt. But did you know that the country with the most pyramids in the world…is actually Sudan?

So far, 138 pyramids have been found in Egypt, but there are around 255 in Sudan!

Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa. Many of the pyramids in Sudan were built as tombs for kings and queens. These pyramids look a little different from the pyramids of Egypt. They're a bit steeper and pointier.

If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!