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Can you guess our screen time? A priest, pensioner, tech CEO and teenager reveal all
January 31, 2026
From the person who scrolls on the toilet to the one without any social media, what do their digital habits tell us? • Will Storr: we have lost so much of ourselves to smartphones – can we get it back? Dayeon, 16: the teenager who spends less than an hour a day on screens Continue…
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Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
January 25, 2026
Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month • How the ‘confident authority’ of AI Overviews is putting public health at risk Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that…
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Kemi Badenoch says Tories would ban under-16s from ‘addictive’ social media
January 11, 2026
Conservative leader backs Australian-inspired policy to stop platforms ‘profiting from their anxiety’ UK politics live – latest updates The Conservatives are backing a ban on social media for under-16s in an attempt to prevent addictive platforms fuelling anxiety and distraction among teenagers. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said she did not like the word ban…
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From shrimp Jesus to erotic tractors: how viral AI slop took over the internet
December 28, 2025
Flood of unreality is an endpoint of algorithm-driven internet and product of an economy dependent on a few top tech firms In the algorithm-driven economy of 2025, one man’s shrimp Jesus is another man’s side hustle. AI slop – the low-quality, surreal content flooding social media platforms, designed to farm views – is a phenomenon,…
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YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos viewed 1.2bn times in 2025
December 14, 2025
Exclusive: More than 150 anonymous channels using cheap AI tools to spread false stories about Keir Starmer, study finds YouTube channels spreading fake, anti-Labour videos have amassed more than a billion views this year, as opportunists attempt to use AI-generated content to profit from political division in the UK. More than 150 channels have been…
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EU opens investigation into Google’s use of online content for AI models
December 9, 2025
European Commission to assess whether Gemini owner is putting rival companies at a disadvantage Business live – latest updates The EU has opened an investigation to assess whether Google is breaching European competition rules in its use of online content from publishers and YouTube creators for artificial intelligence. The European Commission said on Tuesday it…
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Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the ‘AI slop’ taking over YouTube
August 11, 2025
Nearly one in 10 of the fastest growing channels globally consist of mass-produced, surreal AI-generated videos Babies trapped in space, zombie football stars and cat soap operas: welcome to YouTube in the era of AI video. Nearly one in 10 of the fastest growing YouTube channels globally are showing AI-generated content only, as breakthroughs in…
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‘The BBC feels very samey and boring’: the over-50s who prefer YouTube
August 3, 2025
More Britons in this age group are switching to the video platform, with its shorter, niche and more personal content UK viewers over the age of 55 watched almost twice as much YouTube last year as they did in 2023, with 42% of them watching on a TV, according to a survey by the communications…
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How will Australia’s under-16s social media ban be enforced, and which platforms will be exempt?
July 31, 2025
No prescribed avenue for social media companies to check users’ ages, but options include facial estimation technology and matching photos with ID Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australians using a range of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and X will need to have their age checked…
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YouTube most popular first TV destination for children, Ofcom finds
July 30, 2025
One in five young viewers go to platform first when they turn on TV, as older people also watch more of its content Are you watching YouTube on your TV more than other channels? Children are now heading to YouTube from the moment they turn on the television, in the latest sign of the video…
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