(WASHINGTON) — When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan last week, the world braced for China’s response. Within hours of her departure, China began military exercises around Taiwan, leaving the world wondering how far China is willing to take its response.

Evidence suggests China will not stop at military drills.

“The last time we [saw] a crisis like this was in 1996,” Kai Hao Yang, assistant professor of economics at Yale School of Management, told ABC News. “At that time [the] computer chips market was not dominated by Taiwan manufacturers yet, plus the market was a lot smaller than it is right now.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned of economic consequences during a call with President Joe Biden before Pelosi’s trip.

So how would U.S. consumers be impacted? First, China could hamstring Taiwan’s ability to export products. Taiwan is one of the United States’ top 10 trade partners. In addition to vehicles and machinery — important Taiwanese imports — the island is also home to TSMC, the largest manufacturer of computer processor chips in the world.

“Some people talk about China blockading Taiwan’s ports so Taiwan’s chips can’t go out,” Ming-Jen Lin, professor of economics at National Taiwan University, said in an email to ABC News. “If this really happens, it’s another story. But I think we are far from there.”

If China took this action, it could force U.S. tech companies to use chips manufactured in the U.S., which would increase prices for consumers.

“The unit cost of producing a chip is 50% higher in the U.S. than in Taiwan,” Lin said.

The second way China’s retaliation threatens the American consumer is if Beijing chooses to impose economic penalties on U.S. trade. These actions could mean rising prices for American consumers and more supply-chain headaches.

“Chinese escalation could further exacerbate the supply-chain problem we’re facing right now,” Yang said.

Former U.S. ambassador to China and former U.S. senator, Max Baucus, is more optimistic about the fallout.

“I think there’ll be short-term disruption,” Baucus told ABC News, “but I don’t think long term because business is so important to both countries.”

China is at a crossroads with where to go next. A war would be catastrophic and business sanctions are less than ideal.

“China worships at the altar of stability,” Baucus said. “And they want to keep the country’s economy stable. And that means business.”

For many decades, American consumers have valued China’s ability to produce inexpensive goods. Those days, however, could be numbered.

“The cheap price era of the past 20 years is definitely over,” Lin pointed out. “I am not saying it will happen overnight, but definitely gradually.”

For now, American consumers have more to be worried about, like 40-year-high inflation and a possible recession. But economic uncertainty lies ahead as China and U.S. communication finds itself at a standstill.

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(NEW YORK) — Snapchat announced a new in-app family center on Tuesday, which is designed to start conversations between parents and minors about safer social media usage.

In the new family center, parents will have the ability to see which Snapchat friends have sent their children messages, photos or videos within the last week. Parents will also have the option to report any suspicious or concerning accounts to Snapchat’s trust and safety teams, the company said.

Snapchat’s move is part of a growing trend of social media companies attempting to deal with real-world relationships and safety on a digital plane.

“I think there were three things that probably rushed into my mind immediately, which were well done, it’s about time, and let’s keep going,” Chris McKenna, the founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization focused on creating safer digital spaces for kids, told ABC News.

Experts said the key to a healthier relationship with families while living in a digital age still starts with communication and cooperation.

“Now, of course, those parents or guardians are not going to be able to see the content of any chats or content being exchanged between individuals, but at least they’ll have a better idea of who they’re talking to,” Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and professor of Criminology at Florida Atlantic University, told ABC News. “And ideally that will lead to the promotion of additional conversations related to safety, related to security and privacy and trust.”

Snapchat is not the only social media company to take this route. Instagram released similar safety updates last year, and social media companies have come under increased scrutiny recently for their misinformation and abuse online. Instagram now has a feature that allows parents and guardians to set time limits on their teens while using the app and a break reminder feature, both of which are not on Snapchat’s family center.

“It’s a very complicated challenge, trying to find a tool that’s going to sort of answer and provide an opportunity to help make that process maybe a little bit easier for parents, but at the same time, sort of respect the autonomy of the teens that are using the products as well,” Emily Mulder, a program director at the Family Online Safety Institute, told ABC News.

Teens have also been feeling this shift in how families deal with digital safety and what it means for their privacy as they grow up in an increasingly connected world.

“Personally, I don’t think I would use it,” Ashleigh Facey, a 17-year-old high schooler who’s concerned about her personal privacy, told ABC News. “I can see why they want to do that though, because there’s kids that are like really young using these apps now.”

Heather Facey, Ashleigh’s mother, feels differently about the matter and likes the idea of a family center on social media.

“Absolutely, I think that would be great. That type of thing is what parents want to hear about,” she said. “It would be something I would most definitely want to have access to and implement.”

Experts like McKenna, who is also a parent, agree, but he said direct communication is still the best way to grow healthy familial bonds.

“There is no parental control that replaces the need for amazing parents who have intentional, truthful, direct, frequent, persistent and consistent conversations with your children. There’s no toggle that replaces you….No passive parenting in the digital age,” McKenna said.

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(NEW YORK) — Mattel has brought back one of its most iconic dolls: Barbie Totally Hair.

Since initially debuting 30 years ago, the toymaker has released an updated version of the ’90s doll. The original launch was available in blond or brunette hair colors and came with an accompanying styling gel.

Barbie’s new take on the doll includes four dolls with their own unique hairstyles, textures, fashion looks and themes. Each doll also has a really long mane of 8.5 inches of hair — reaching down to its ankles.

Children also get to enjoy the doll’s vibrant pops of hair color, as well as more than 15 styling accessories that include everything from color-changing hair clips to scrunchies.

“Totally hot, totally cool! Totally Hair #Barbie is back for the ultimate throwback, with a look inspired by our original bestselling doll with extra-long hair and rockin’ accessories,” the brand captioned a video of the new assortment of dolls on Instagram.

The latest Totally Hair lineup features four dolls centered around star, heart, flower and butterfly themes — with each having its own fun flair.

“Thirty years ago, we made waves with Barbie Totally Hair, which would go on to become the bestselling Barbie doll of all time,” Mattel Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls Lisa McKnight said in a statement.

She continued, “This year we’re headed back to our roots with the release of our 30th anniversary Totally Hair dolls, leaning into the nostalgia factor and bringing back all 8.5 inches of magical and playable hair for young kids to act out their most imaginative Totally Hair storylines. Hair has always been a huge part of Barbie’s identity, so it was a dream come true to add some 2022 flair on one of our most iconic dolls.”

The new Barbie Totally Hair Doll assortment is currently available at select online retailers and will be sold at more mass retailers later this fall.

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