4 d. ago The one change that worked: I’ve ditched streaming for CDs – and fallen in love with music all over again

The lure of a limitless digital jukebox was great, but as the algorithm increasingly served up music I didn’t enjoy, I’ve taken back control of my listeningWhen most people were comparing how many times they had listened to Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx and Fontaines DC on Spotify Wrapped last December, I had to make do with Burger King Unwrapped, delivered to me via their app, which told me how many Burger Kings I’d eaten that year (a solitary Whopper meal in July). You see, I’ve stopped streaming music, which, in this modern day and age, seems frankly weird. But hear me out. I’ve gone back to buying CDs, and it’s made me fall in love with music all over again.I listen to music all day, every day. I can’t work without music in the background, or consider doing the washing up without some tunes to groove to. Traditionally, I’d buy albums on CDs or vinyl, and listen to them over and over until I was bored to death with them, by which time I’d hopefully have bought another album. It’s...

Economics

8 d. ago Taskmaster's Alex Horne reveals which star donned flashy leotard for Channel 4 show

The Horne Section TV Show has returned for its second series, with creator Alex Horne sharing the screen with his actual wife for the first time - and a Strictly Come Dancing star.

Politics

1 week ago The one change that worked: I started sketching – and stopped doomscrolling

Drawing pictures of my family, pets and strangers has made me a calmer, happier person – and given me a tender record of my lifeI’ve always battled with phone use. I resent how much my sense of being alive in the world – feeling it, doing things, making stuff happen – is affected by my screen time. So a few years ago, I decided to do a sketch every day.I had always wanted to draw, but I was embarrassed about starting out because I was so bad at it. Then I bought a few black notebooks: a small one for my jacket pocket, and larger ones for my bedside and for the kitchen table. As no one would ever see my drawings, I decided I didn’t need to care about what anyone thought. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Screen time rewires your child’s brain – here’s what you can do about it

Scans show screen time can change the brain’s physical structure and pathways

Politics

2 w. ago Screen time warning to parents as quarter of UK families eat dinner in silence

New research has prompted warnings for parents to consider spending more quality time with their children over dinner after a study found that conversations have been swapped for mobiles during meals

Events

2 w. ago ‘There’s a battle going on for the soul of America’: actor Lennie James on political turmoil, zombie terrors and being a black Brit in the US

As part of a Bafta TV special, the nominated actor and Walking Dead regular on bringing Bernardine Evaristo’s hit novel Mr Loverman to the small screen, and splitting his time between London and LAHe is almost 40 years into his career, but Lennie James is still keeping things fresh. The 59-year-old south Londoner has run the gauntlet of high-octane TV dramas, playing Morgan Jones for more than 10 years in the wildly successful apocalypse drama The Walking Dead and its spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead; bent copper DCI Tony Gates in Line of Duty; and the down-and-out philanderer Nelly Rowe in Sky’s Save Me. In person, though, James is the polar opposite of the characters he is best known for – considered, introspective and disarmingly earnest.Last year, he took on a radically different role, as Barrington (below) in the BBC adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo’s novel Mr Loverman, a closeted Windrush-generation Caribbean man in a secret relationship with his best friend. Quietly moving, it...

Events

2 w. ago Screen time is 'killing the family dinner chat', survey shows

Children are having to tell their parents to put their phones down at the table too 👀

Events

2 w. ago Air travel chaos as United Airlines cuts 35 daily flights from airport

United Airlines slashed 35 daily flights from its Newark schedule starting Saturday

Transport

3 w. ago Greyscale and prune your algorithm: ‘digital nutritionist’ offers advice on cutting down screen time

Kaitlyn Regehr says parents worrying about their children need first to look at their own usageSwitching off the colours on your phone and spending half an hour a week pruning your algorithm can help consumers control and improve their online media diet, according to a professor turned “digital nutritionist”.These two measures, otherwise known as greyscaling and algorithmic resistance, are among a number of recommendations from Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, an associate professor at University College London and a leading expert in digital literacy. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How screen time rewires your child’s brain and what you can do about it

Scans show screen time can change the brain’s physical structure and pathways

Politics

3 w. ago Ministers’ ‘evangelical’ support for EdTech sparks warning by campaigner

Baroness Kidron told Parliament that pupils were being wrapped ‘in a world of digital products’ that normalised screen time over human interaction.

Events

3 w. ago Screen time: Hugh Grant says too much tech in schools is 'ruining' children

An expert says tech can be a powerful force for good in education - when used wisely 💻

Politics

4 w. ago What is the dopamine diet? Three top tips on how to do a digital detox and avoid screen time and scrolling

Getting started on your digital detox couldn’t be easier 📱

Events

4 w. ago US airlines forced to cut flights as travel across the country drops

Airlines reported that they would trim its flight schedule for the second half of the year due to lower demand

Transport

4 w. ago I'm a childhood behavior expert... here is how you should REALLY punish kids if they misbehave

Discipline is one of those parenting topics that comes with a lot of opinions - just like screen time and whether your toddler really needs that third snack.

Politics