TechCrunch Industry News TikTok’s latest feature lets college students find and connect with classmates, Meta is shaking up it AI org again, and Google pays out $30M
Aug 19, 2025
TikTok is rolling out a new feature that helps college students connect with classmates through campus verification. Meanwhile, Meta is shaking up its AI organization, breaking it into four new groups under a new chief AI officer. In a legal twist, Google is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly collecting data from children on YouTube. While the company plans to settle and deny the allegations, millions of viewers who watched as kids may be eligible for payments.
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TikTok Recreates College Network Model
- TikTok's Campus Verification replicates Facebook's early college-network model to build real-world connections on campus.
- The feature relies on UniDays verification and displays school and graduation year publicly on profiles.
How To Enable Or Skip Campus Verification
- To use Campus Verification, add your school, select graduation year, and verify with your academic email address.
- Choose not to add your school if you prefer to keep your student life separate from your TikTok presence.
Discovery And Visibility On Campus Pages
- The school page lets users filter classmates by graduation year and sort by most followed, enabling discovery and visibility dynamics.
- Similar features were reportedly being tested on Instagram, suggesting a broader industry trend toward campus-based social features.