7 h. ago No TikTok, no Instagram: Chilean school blocks phones as students rediscover real

A school in Santiago, Chile, has launched a program that blocks smartphones, helping teens reconnect with the real world

Technology

9 d. ago ‘I felt doomed’: social media guessed I was pregnant – and my feed soon grew horrifying

The algorithm knew I was expecting before I had had a chance to tell my family, friends or GP. At first, I was served up joyful videos. Then the tone became much darker ...I don’t remember where I was when my TikTok feed showed me a video of a woman holding her stillborn baby, but I remember how I felt. At first, it appeared like any other video of a woman holding a newborn. It was tightly wrapped in blankets while she cradled it in her arms. She was crying, but so are most of the women in these post-birth videos. It wasn’t until I read the caption that I realised what I was looking at. Her baby had been delivered at 23 weeks. I was 22 weeks pregnant. I felt doomed.My social media algorithms knew I was pregnant before family, friends or my GP. Within 24-hours, they were transforming my feeds. On Instagram and TikTok, I would scroll through videos of women recording themselves as they took pregnancy tests, just as I had done. I “liked”, “saved”, and “shared” the content, feeding the ...

Politics

9 d. ago Defendant tells jury he didn’t pay much attention to ‘rubbish’ bomb

Prosecutors allege Adam Mahmood is guilty of having a recording likely to be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism.

Events

9 d. ago Princess Andre shocks fans after saying she wants to 'change appearance' drastically

Katie Price's daughter Princess Andre has amassed almost a million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, and she's now planning to change up her look in a dramatic way

Politics

9 d. ago Princess Andre divides fans as she reveals plans to 'change' her signature look

Princess Andre has amassed almost a million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, and has now revealed she is planning to change up her signature look for something more bold

Politics

1 week ago Children as young as 11 tempted to try betting after being ‘flooded’ by celebrity endorsement

Those in UK aged 11-17 said seeing a celebrity gambling or advertising it made them want to emulate them, survey findsChildren as young as 11 feel tempted to try betting after being “flooded” by celebrities and sports stars promoting it, according to two reports that found nearly 90% of children aged 13-17 are exposed to gambling content online.The UK’s leading gambling charity, GambleAware, which commissioned the reports, urged regulators and policymakers to address social media accounts and influencers producing betting content on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch in light of the findings. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The 'dangerous' videos on TikTok and Instagram that are putting people's lives at risk

Experts warn lives are being put at risk by fake versions of Retatrutide - with the real thing still in trials

Events

1 week ago Calls for phone snatching law change – but expert warns it may not go far enough

Labour MP Dawn Butler is seeking an amendment that would require tech giants to block stolen phones

Events

1 week ago A simple search on TikTok and Instagram is leading people down a dangerous path

M.E.N. INVESTIGATION: Experts warn lives are being put at risk by fake versions of Retatrutide - with the real thing still in trials. Stephen Topping investigates a worrying online trend.

Technology

2 w. ago The Guardian view on the carnivore diet: red meat for influencers, but bad news for health | Editorial

A fad for consuming high-protein, high-fat food, while avoiding vegetables, has taken off online. Followers are doing themselves no favoursOnce, it seemed that much of the world was intent on drastically cutting back on meat for health and environmental reasons. Vegetarian and vegan options appeared on restaurant menus and the very idea of a bloody red steak became almost unthinkable in liberal circles. And yet the carnivore diet is now all over Instagram and TikTok, prompting health bodies to start issuing warnings.Followers of this diet eat meat, fat, seafood, eggs and butter, avoiding all vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes as if plants were, as Paul Saladino, an advocate of this diet alleged, “poison”. Dr Saladino is a US psychiatrist and health influencer with a range of supplements called Heart and Soil that contain dried animal organ meat. He appears shirtless on social media, denouncing vegetables, which he says will harm us. Other Instagrammers tuck into plates of huge s...

Events

2 w. ago Alec Baldwin shares sensual moment with wife Hilaria as couple reenact Dirty Dancing in what appears to be a desperate audition for DWTS

The experienced yogi, 41, has been busy posting a slew of dancing videos to her Instagram and TikTok over the past weeks that appear to be in aid of getting her a place on the show.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘What do you earn?’ How Instagram and TikTok influencers sent a taboo question viral

New wave of content creators say they hope to increase pay transparency by questioning people in the streetWould you be prepared to tell a stranger how much you earn and let them broadcast it all over the internet?For better or worse, it used to be the case that pretty much the only people who knew your salary were you, your boss and probably HM Revenue & Customs. Continue reading...

Technology

3 w. ago Rangers are the real reason Celtic board won't spend as Hotline plots Brendan Rodgers exit

Andy Newport manned the phones as the fallout from a blockbuster week of Champions League action rumbles on

Politics

3 w. ago John Crawley, the TikTok star also known as KingBeard X, dies aged 47

John Crawley, the 47-year-old TikTok comedian known as KingBeardX, had over 3.5 million followers on TikTok and Instagram

Events

3 w. ago Kids 'targeted by dangerous TikTok and Instagram posts on industrial scale'

Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly tragically took her own life in 2017, said it is 'staggering' that social media algorithms are targeting vulnerable youngsters

Events

3 w. ago More children seeing violent and degrading pornography online, says commissioner

Boys (73%) were more likely than girls (65%) to report seeing online pornography.

Events

3 w. ago Mystery as 'Dancing for the Devil' star abandons millions of followers as social media account suddenly vanishes after feds raid TikTok manager's home

Married influencers Miranda and James Derrick left fans baffled after their Instagram and TikTok accounts were suddenly wiped without explanation.

Society

last month Ugly, mortifying – and addictive? Tim Dowling’s week in the world’s most divisive shoes

Twenty years after they first hit the shelves, five-fingered shoes are apparently having a big fashion moment. But what is it like to wear them in public?Back in January, Vogue made a bold headline prediction: “This Freaky-Chic Shoe Will Be Everywhere in 2025”. It had already been spotted on models and rap artists, and all over TikTok and Instagram. By summer, Grazia declared that “The split-toe trend that’s been quietly bubbling for years just hit the mainstream”, citing shopping app Lyst, which named the shoe as one of its top five most-searched items.The freaky-chic shoe in question is the toe shoe – a lightweight, thin-soled trainer with separate, articulated toes. They come in a number of brands and styles, and while they may be popular, I can safely say they are not “everywhere”. Walking in them in public every day for a week, I never ran across another person wearing them. Anywhere. Continue reading...

Politics