Latest posts

  • Criminal gangs profiting as child sexual abuse websites double, experts say

    Analyst who worked on Internet Watch Foundation report says content exists ‘across all social media platforms’ and is ‘very easy’ to find The number of commercial child sexual abuse websites has doubled in a year as experts say that criminal gangs are making “huge profits” from online sexual exploitation. According to data collected by the…

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  • Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers

    Exclusive: Call for nudity-detection tech on phones as number of under-18s reporting blackmail attempts rises by 34% • ‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the…

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  • The jobs AI can’t do – and the young adults doing them

    For many young people entering the workforce, the stigma of hands-on jobs is fading. There a competitive appeal – and they all require human expertise Gib and Michelle Mouser are proud of their son’s career – just not in the way they once imagined. Only 23 years old, Cale Mouser already earns well over six…

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  • Hundreds of UK teenagers to trial six-week social media curbs for major study

    Government’s pilot ban for under-16s accompanies consultation as peers vote on Australia-style restrictions Hundreds of UK teenagers will trial social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps under a government pilot, which will run alongside a consultation to decide whether the UK should ban access to social media for the under-16s. During the…

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  • Hundreds of UK teenagers to pilot social media bans and restrictions

    Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone use Hundreds of teenagers will be enlisted to trial social media bans in the coming months with overnight digital curfews and daily screen time limits also tested as part of Keir Starmer’s plan to crack down on the…

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  • Mumsnet calls for under-16s social media ban with cigarette-style health warnings

    Resembling cigarette packet warnings, the ads highlight dangers and urge people to email MPs Mumsnet has launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s featuring health warnings in the style of those on cigarette packets. The deliberately provocative national advertising campaign calls for all social media to be banned for children…

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  • Starmer vows to fast-track social media law but says under-16s ban not definite

    Prime minister says action will be taken on young people’s social media access in ‘months, not years’ What social media restrictions has Keir Starmer announced? Keir Starmer has pledged action on young people’s access to social media in “months, not years”, while saying this did not necessarily mean a complete ban on access for under-16s.…

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  • ‘I fell into it’: ex-criminal hackers urge Manchester pupils to use web skills for good

    Initiative aims to identify proficient gamers and coders who can help companies identify flaws in their cybersecurity Cybercriminals, the shadowy online figures often depicted in Hollywood movies as hooded villains capable of wiping millions of pounds off the value of businesses at a keystroke, are not usually known for their candour. But in a sixth-form…

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  • ‘This can’t be left to individual families’: how social media ban could affect under-16s

    Parents, teachers and young people share their views on whether social media restrictions would work in the UK Pressure is mounting on the UK government to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s, after a decisive vote in House of Lords in favour of Australian-style restrictions. Peers backed a Tory-led amendment to the children’s…

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  • UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

    Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and family A pioneering investigation into the impact of restricting social media access for children in the UK has been announced as politicians around the world consider action on the issue. In December, Australia became the first country to…

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