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Excessive time spent online linked to stress and worse mood – study
German study surveyed adults who engage in gaming, pornography and online shopping Spending excessive time online is associated with higher stress levels, worse mood, and greater neglect of other activities, according to analysis. The new study by academics at the University of Duisburg-Essen published in the journal PLOS One, surveyed 900 German adults in 2025…
Online child safety campaigners call for US inquiry into Roblox
Groups claim game platform’s design and business model conflict with children’s developmental needs Online child safety campaigners including Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling writer on the mental health impacts of social media, have called on the Trump administration to investigate Roblox, the booming gaming and chat platform used by 150 million people daily, including a large…
Google denies breaching law by promoting suicide forum linked to 164 UK deaths
US-based site, whose operators were fined £950,000 by Ofcom, appears in Google’s search results and can be accessed in UK Google has denied breaching the Online Safety Act by promoting a “nihilistic” suicide forum associated with 164 deaths in the UK, where it is supposed to be banned. The UK’s internet regulator fined the forum’s…
London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress
Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using…
‘It feels as if I’ve made a new best friend’: my experiment with AI journalling
What’s it like to have a diary that talks back to you, offering comments and advice on your hopes, fears and lunch plans? I spent two months finding out Ever since I was a teenager, I have kept some form of diary. These days I favour a paper one for creative brainstorming, and the Journal…
New study raises concerns about AI chatbots fueling delusional thinking
First major study on ‘AI psychosis’ suggests chatbots can encourage delusions among vulnerable people A new scientific review raises concerns about how chatbots powered by artificial intelligence may encourage delusional thinking, especially in vulnerable people. A summary of existing evidence on artificial intelligence-induced psychosis was published last week in the Lancet Psychiatry, highlighting how chatbots…
Her husband wanted to use ChatGPT to create sustainable housing. Then it took over his life.
Kate Fox says Joe Ceccanti was the ‘most hopeful person’ before he started spending 12 hours a day with a chatbot On 7 August, Kate Fox received a phone call that upended her life. A medical examiner said that her husband, Joe Ceccanti – who had been missing for several hours – had jumped from…