5 h. ago Children under 16 could be banned from using social media at certain times

Ofcom have set out new rules to force tech firms to protect children online

Events

11 h. ago EastEnders star announces birth of first child with adorable first photo

Danny Walters has announced that he has become a dad for the first time in a sweet social media post

Culture

57 h. ago Last year, a town’s primary schools banned smartphones. This is what happened

Just under a year ago, headteachers at primary schools in St Albans told families their learning environments would be smartphone free and urged parents not to give their children the devices until the age of 14. Nearly a year into the experiment, Holly Bancroft explores the impact at one school

Events

3 d. ago Last year, an entire town’s primary schools banned smartphones. This is what happened

Just under a year ago, headteachers at primary schools in St Albans told families their learning environments would be smartphone free and urged parents not to give their children the devices until the age of 14. Nearly a year into the experiment, Holly Bancroft explores the impact at one school

Events

3 d. ago Pope Francis reminds world we are 'for life' in heartwarming last social media post

The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis died early this morning, and hours before the pontiff posted his last message on social media, which has since been liked thousands of times

Events

3 d. ago With ‘AI slop’ distorting our reality, the world is sleepwalking into disaster | Nesrine Malik

A perverse information ecosystem is being mined by big tech for profit, fooling the unwary and sending algorithms crazyThere are two parallel image channels that dominate our daily visual consumption. In one, there are real pictures and footage of the world as it is: politics, sport, news and entertainment. In the other is AI slop, low-quality content with minimal human input. Some of it is banal and pointless – cartoonish images of celebrities, fantasy landscapes, anthropomorphised animals. And some is a sort of pornified display of women just simply being, like a virtual girlfriend you cannot truly interact with. The range and scale of the content is staggering, and infiltrates everything from social media timelines to messages circulated on WhatsApp. The result is not just a blurring of reality, but a distortion of it.A new genre of AI slop is rightwing political fantasy. There are entire YouTube videos of made-up scenarios in which Trump officials prevail against liberal forces....

Events

4 d. ago Views of TikTok posts with electronic music outgrow those using indie

Videos tagged #ElectronicMusic attracted more than 13bn views worldwide last year, an increase of 45% on 2023It is another example of the parallel worlds in the music industry. The the Gallagher brothers may be taking over the world’s stadiums this summer, but over on TikTok users are moving to a different beat.Views of posts using electronic music as a soundtrack, including techno and house, outgrew those tagged for indie and alternative for the first time in 2024, according to the social media app. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Talks in London may lead to full ceasefire in Ukraine, media reveal timeline

Talks in London may lead to full ceasefire in Ukraine, media reveal timeline  MSN

Events

7 d. ago Trump’s pick to run the critical DC attorney’s office has appeared on Russian state media over 150 times: report

Ed Martin reportedly appeared on RT and Sputnik from August 2016 through April 2024

Politics

1 week ago ‘Welcome to the club’: Woods leads salutes to McIlroy’s Masters win and grand slam

Media in Ireland and US pay tribute to epic achievement‘This means everything to him,’ adds Shane LowryTiger Woods welcomed Rory McIlroy to golf’s most exclusive club after his dramatic victory in the Masters on Sunday. McIlroy, born in Holywood, Co Down, defeated Justin Rose on the first hole of a playoff at Augusta National to join Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen in having won all four major titles.“Welcome to the club @McIlroyRory,” Woods posted on social media. The 15-time major winner achieved three Grand Slams. He added: “Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special. Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re a part of history. Proud of you!” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago NFL draft prospect Kyren Lacy dies at 24 amid fatal car crash charges

Receiver had allegedly caused death in December crashCause of death for player has not been releasedLawyer says he believes charges will be declinedFormer LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, who was facing criminal charges stemming from a fatal car accident in December, has died at the age of 24, his attorney and the college confirmed on Sunday. A cause of death has not been released.“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy. First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace,” Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, told ESPN. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago You be the judge: should my best friend text me back more quickly?

Priya doesn’t know why her pal takes so long to reply. Mandy says she gets distracted and forgets. You decide whose explanation pings trueFind out how to get a disagreement settled or become a jurorShe’s on social media all the time, but she takes for ever to respond to me and I worry we’re losing touchI see a text and think, ‘I’ll reply later when I have time’, then just forget. I’m not brushing Priya off Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump ignites ‘insider trading’ accusations after global tariffs U

US president posted it was ‘a great time to buy’ on social media just hours before dramatic about-faceBusiness live – latest updatesDonald Trump is facing accusations of market manipulation after posting on social media that it was a “great time to buy” just hours before he made a dramatic U-turn on his trade war that led to big rises in stock markets around the world.Shortly after American markets opened on Wednesday morning, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago 'Perfect' travel hack prevents jewellery from getting tangled

Jewellery lovers were amazed by the simple hack that social media users can't wait to use the next time they're travelling

Politics

2 w. ago Luke Humphries hits out in social media rant and says it's the last time he'll open up

It comes after the world number one admitted darts had become a 'chore' for him

Events

2 w. ago Prince Andrew sex accuser health update after her 'I've got four days to live' claim

Virginia Giuffre has spoken out for the first time since her alarming social media post in which she claimed she had been given 'four days to live' due to kidney failure

Politics

2 w. ago What next for climate activism now Just Stop Oil is ‘hanging up the hi

After three years, thousands of arrests and a state crackdown on protests, the group is ending direct action after a polarising campaignOn the morning of Valentine’s Day 2022, Hannah Hunt stood at the gates of Downing Street to announce the start of a new kind of climate campaign, one that would eschew mere protest and instead move into “civil resistance”.Last week, three years and thousands of arrests later, in a neat tie-up exemplary of Just Stop Oil’s (JSO) love of media-savvy stunts, Hunt went to the same spot again – this time to announce the group would be “hanging up the hi-vis”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Fed chair warns of high inflation and slower growth as Trump tells him to cut interest rates – live

Federal Reserve chair says ‘we face a highly uncertain outlook’ as president tells him to cut interest ratesPeople in the US: how have your shopping habits changed due to Trump’s tariffs?Trump insists he won’t back down from global trade war as markets slumpThe Trump administration is taking aim at Brown University with threats to freeze $510m in grants, widening its promise to withhold federal funding from schools it accuses of allowing antisemitism on campus, according to multiple media outlets including Reuters and the New York Times.University officials said they had not yet been formally notified, but the school was among dozens warned last month that enforcement actions could be coming as the administration seeks to crack down on academic institutions . Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘My policies will never change’: Trump doubles down on trade war after China announces retaliatory tariffs – live

US president says on Truth Social that ‘this is a great time to get rich’ despite China issuing a 34% tariff on all US goods The Trump administration is taking aim at Brown University with threats to freeze $510m in grants, widening its promise to withhold federal funding from schools it accuses of allowing antisemitism on campus, according to multiple media outlets including Reuters and the New York Times.University officials said they had not yet been formally notified, but the school was among dozens warned last month that enforcement actions could be coming as the administration seeks to crack down on academic institutions . Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Stephanie Davis rushes baby son Samuel, 2 months, to hospital after he 'stopped breathing' as she details the 'scariest time of  my life'

The Coronation Street star, 32, described the ordeal as 'the scariest time of my life' as she told her social media followers what happened.

Politics