Technics

Experts say more evidence is needed on kids’ phone useThey were speaking in a House of Commons Select CommitteeRight now “almost everything is correlational” The UK government has now put in motion a plan to ban under-16s from accessing social media content in apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok — but elsewhere in the corridors of Westminster, experts are advising politicians that there’s not much in the way of solid evidence when it comes to phone use and the childhood brain. Speaking at the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee this week in the House of Commons (via The Register), academics said that there just isn’t enough data to show how social media and phone use might be shaping young minds as they develop. “There is very little, if any, causal research in the early years,” said Professor Denis Mareschal, who is the director of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck College. “Almost everything […]

The UK has become the latest country to ban social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing today that “children will be given back their childhoods thanks to government action”. Following Australia’s decision to lock teens out of popular social media apps in December 2025, the UK has promised “world-leading additional restrictions” on features like live streaming and strangers communicating with children. The landmark legislation, which the UK government says is “backed by 9 in 10 parents”, is expected to be brought before Parliament before Christmas, and could then come into force in Spring 2027. So how exactly will the social media ban work, and what does it mean for children in the UK? You can follow all of the latest updates here live… UK social media ban — a quick primer (Image credit: Getty Images) Hello, and welcome to our liveblog on the UK’s landmark social media ban for under-16s. We’ll be rounding up all […]

Looking for a different day? A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, June 13 (game #832). Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #833) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the […]

Looking for a different day? A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, June 13 (game #1601). Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #1602) […]

Looking for a different day? A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Friday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, June 12 (game #1600). Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #1601) […]

It looks like Meta is having a rough Friday morning. Starting shortly before 10 AM ET, reports began to spike from users unable to access both Facebook and WhatsApp, with the number of complaints continuing to climb. The initial issues appear to be concentrated on WhatsApp, where users were reporting that the app’s main screen failed to load. Since then, though, Facebook has been the main brunt of Meta’s issues this AM – I myself got something that went wrong, then just the classic logo, and then an empty feed that still hasn’t loaded. Down Detector reports have quickly spiked to over 100,000 for Facebook issues. So to track the ongoing disruptions affecting Facebook, WhatsApp, and potentially other Meta platforms, TechRadar is spinning up a live blog. A look at Down Detector It’s clear that many of Meta’s platforms are having some issues currently, as you can see at the top of Down Detector in the United […]

Looking for a different day? A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Thursday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, June 11 (game #1599). Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #1600) […]

Looking for a different day? A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Thursday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Thursday, June 11 (game #830). Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #831) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the […]

Canada tables the The Safe Social Media Act in Bill C-34It needs to be approved by both the House of Commons and the SenateUnder-16s would be banned from social media platforms There’s an increasing realization that social media isn’t particularly healthy for younger children, and a growing number of governments are now taking legislative action in response, with Canada the latest country to move to ban access to social media platforms for under-16s. This is being done via the The Safe Social Media Act (via Engadget), put forward by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller. The Act describes “growing risks” for young people that are “real, measurable, and increasing” — including negative effects on mental health, cyberbullying, and sexual abuse. The Act also flags up AI as driving changes in “how harmful content is created, amplified, and experienced online”. The Canadian government posits that the algorithms and engagement-baiting of social media platforms, together with […]

First trailer for The Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, has been releasedStars Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison in leading rolesMovie explores the 2021 whistleblowing scandal, but release coincides with another whistleblower being ‘silenced’ The first trailer for The Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, has been released (which you can catch up with below). Starring Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison, the new movie is set to follow the 2021 Facebook internal document leak to the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Wall Street Journal by whistleblower, engineer Frances Haugen. Described by Sony as a “spiritual successor” to The Social Network rather than a traditional sequel, The Social Reckoning will pick up 17 years after the first film ends with an entirely new cast and swaps director David Fincher for Aaron Sorkin (though Sorkin wrote the original screenplay for both). The trailer has split fan opinion online, with some praising Strong […]

Looking for a different day? A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Tuesday’s puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, June 9 (game #1597). Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc’s Wordle today column covers the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #1598) […]

Looking for a different day? A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Monday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, June 8 (game #827). Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #828) – hint #1 – today’s theme What is the […]