Outcry as Meta lets users make AI images from public Instagram profile pics Source: BBC News

 

 

BBC News report describes complaints aimed at Meta over its new AI tool Muse Image. There are a number of tools that can create images from simple sentences but Muse can generate pictures using other people's profile pictures without telling them.

While Meta says users can opt out of their image being used even with a public account, Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove told the BBC it was an "obvious recipe for disaster".

"We've already seen a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year," he added.

Read the full story here. 

School smartphone bans seen as ‘punitive’ by young people, study says Source: The Guardian

 This report from The Guardian reports on a study undertaken by University College London. The report suggests that outright smartphone bans may have unintended negative consequences for young people.

The study questioned 732 secondary school students aged 11 to 18, as well as 27 teachers and 41 parents about their views on phone bans, using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups.

There was widespread agreement about the potentially disruptive influence of smartphones in the classroom, but the research uncovered a sharp generational divide. While 87% of teachers and 88% of parents were in favour of a blanket ban, 75% of pupils disagreed with the policy.

Students argued that banning smartphones restricted access to “essential” tools they relied on to navigate daily life and support their learning, such as bus timetables, weather forecasts and homework apps. They also valued the fact that smartphones offered direct access to helpful support networks, and girls in particular said their smartphones helped them feel safer when travelling alone.

Such arguments are to be expected from the young people that are the target of the school day ban. In fact the various ways schools are implementing the ban do allow students access at the end of the school day and most use one of the following strategies to manage the ban.

Lockable Pouches: Students place phones in specialised, sealed magnetic pouches. The pouches remain locked all day and are opened magnetically by staff at dismissal. 

Designated Lockers & Charging Stations: Students secure devices in assigned lockers upon arrival, often with charging ports available.

"Brick Phone" Mandates: Some institutions mandate that students swap smartphones for basic, non-internet-capable "brick phones" for safety while commuting. 

Hand-In Policies: Pupils hand their phones into lock-boxes or designated bins at the start of every school day or class period. 

Discretionary Exceptions: Schools adjust protocols to allow phones for students who need them for medical conditions, special needs, or specific safeguarding.  

Only time will tell how well these new rules work and how it impacts on young people, their school work and their safety. Pushing all traffic until after the school day is over does not remove the issue from their lives.

Read the full story here. 

Social Media Was Banned in Australia for Kids Under 16. Months Later, More Than 85% of Them Are Still Online Source: People.com

 

The UK's recent actions to manage social media access for children under 16 followed the similar actions taken by the Australian government. This report would suggest that legislation is not an easy option in controlling access to social media as it would appear.

The report suggests that after three months of the start of the ban a significant proportion of the target age group are still online engaging in social media activities. The report isn't anti legislation but it states that it could take a decade for the intention of the law take full effect.

The article also includes a statement from the UK's NSPCC  (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) which states that “It's evident from this research that a ban alone will not keep all children safe from harm online,”

Parents must play a part in the protection of their children and monitoring such activity on a child;s device is still an effective way to add a further layer of protection which is closer to home.

Read the full article here.

Children aged 10 referred to UK’s anti-terror scheme with online gamers groomed by extremists including satanic cult Source: The Sun

 

A report in the UK newspaper The Sun under the Terrorism flag details how children as young as 10 have been referred to the UK’s anti-terror programme.

The particular concern raised by police warn that extremists are grooming youngsters through online gaming platforms. The assistant police commissioner reported that  police had arrested 40 children for terrorism related offences in the UK.  He said  “That is one in five of our arrests. Ten years ago that was one in 20." He also sated that nearly 3,000 people referred to Prevent (Prevent programme) said they had been radicalised while using online gaming platforms.

This worrying trend must be replicated world wide and un-controlled access to gaming platforms allows in game communication to take place without supervision. There are controls available for these games but it is a widely held view that these are not always implemented within families.

Read the full story here. 

 

 

Under-16s to be banned from social media, Starmer announces Source: BBC News

 

 

The UK is to join Australia in banning access to Social Media children under 16 years of age. The ban is due to be in place by the spring on 2027.

The ban will cover all of the major social media platforms  e.g. Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. WhatsApp and Signal will not be covered by the ban.

Read the full story here.