Social media in so many ways is so brilliant.
I love it – I use it – it’s a great way of keeping up with what your friends are doing, or finding out about news stories or expressing yourself.
But social media also really scares me.
Survey after survey has said that parents are deeply worried about the impact of social media on their children.
It’s the new stranger danger…where kids can be targeted online.
But it’s also really about mental health. Growing up is tough enough already – without algorithms to make you feel rubbish about yourself or bullying that you can’t escape when you leave school, because your phone is always there.
No wonder British teenage girls are the unhappiest they’ve ever been, according to a recent study.
So I really welcome Instagram making changes to accounts for people under the age of 18 – which will be made private by default, won’t allow notifications between 10pm and 7am and – crucially – will allow parents to see who they’ve been messaging online.
Weird, isn’t it, that changes that social media giants had always put in the “too difficult” pile are suddenly possible after the Australian, EU & British Gvts are all poised to act…
Perhaps that’s proof that to make lasting change we need BOTH the social media companies AND governments to do their bit.
But here’s the thing.
Because this is the uncomfortable bit.
None of this will really make a blind bit of difference unless parents do their job too.
Kids can always lie about their age, right?
So restricting access to phones… enforcing the age requirements… well… that’s got to start at home, hasn’t it?
I understand the power of a relentless child.
But unless companies, governments AND parents do their bit…we’re facing a mental health crisis that may be impossible to solve.
No, not 💯 Elon. In the U.K. they’re not going round ‘finding people who’ve said something they disagree with and putting them in a f—king cage.’ Some people are being charged for inciting racial hatred and for organising acts of violence. It’s very specific, and it’s the law in most democracies including the US. For example, one person has pleaded guilty today to inciting an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers: an attack which then took place. Another hotel was set on fire, with people still inside. Freedom carries responsibility: and freedom of speech carries with it the responsibility of each of us to use our words wisely and to be aware of the damage misinformation can cause. To be clear, criminal violence directed towards various communities in the U.K. was perpetrated as a result of malicious and specifically targeted misinformation online. And it’s a relief no-one was killed. Words matter. And yet here you are, running a huge information network, and all you can do is post 💯 over something you choose not to verify for accuracy, not alert people to it’s highly damaging nature. In fact, because of who you are, your 💯 gives it a stamp of approval in the eyes of those who seek validation for their actions. What we say and do has real consequences. That’s because we’re not in a matrix, we’re in real life, and sticking 💯 on a lie doesn’t turn it into truth.
Since 2010, Liverpool has been battered by an austerity agenda that has had a shocking impact
For months we’ve been working on a special visual investigation to show what this has meant for the city and its people
This is Liverpool: Austerity City
https://t.co/fTQSQnSgjX
Can I be honest with you? I didn’t want to start the programme talking about the Conservative claim that a Labour Government would cost you £2,000 in extra taxes.
It’s obviously been disputed. Not just because it’s cumulative rather than annual – but because it’s based on an awful lot of assumptions, with some of the conclusions even being disowned by the authors who did the research.
But look – I’m being sucked down the rabbit hole now too.
There are two reasons I don’t want to talk about the £2,000 claim.
The first is because the Conservatives WANT us to talk about it – because even if we’re discussing the fact the number is being disputed, we’re still talking about Labour putting up tax.
But the second reason is even more important.
The parties are both arguing about whether each others sums add up.
Well… they don’t, do they?
Both of them are promising they won’t raise income tax, national insurance, or VAT – three fifths of the total tax revenue. Nobody wants to borrow other than to invest. Health, schools and defence are all ring fenced from spending cuts in some form.
I genuinely don’t understand how this all adds up. Not even close.
Public spending projections after the next election have been described as a “fantasy” by economists – the tax burden is set to hit a historic high - and we’re spending more on debt interest payments than education.
Forget about the quibbling over a few numbers here and there. Because it doesn’t seem to me like ANY party is being honest about just how difficult it will be after the election… and the kind of choices that the next Government will have to make – no matter who it turns out to be.
Horrific scenes from Rafah tonight.
Too awful to re post- charred and decapitated bodies of children.
And all while the world watches.
I truly hope that in my lifetime we see those in power held to account - those who could have stopped this and failed to do so
The appalling heartless leaders who could not even find the words to condemn a massacre that has been live-streamed on our phones for months
So many of us have publicly and privately urged our government, the PM, the @FCDOGovUK to act.
This is on their watch - because they armed , supported and failed to condemn Netanyahu and his extreme right wing
We failed to support the ICJ , abstained at the UNSC , undermined the ICC and continued to arm and support a regime that has brutally slaughtered innocents for months.
UK foreign policy on Palestine is morally bankrupt.
I am sorry we failed you.🇵🇸
🚨How British companies are bolstering Vladimir Putin’s war machine🚨
A depressing thread.
But an important one.
With some pretty shocking charts.
Let’s begin with the “official” picture. It suggests UK trade with Russia has collapsed since Feb 2022. Down by 74%…
Hey you guys , wrote another poem for our new king this one was actually quite hard to write as the subject matter is still raw. Thanks for reading Xx 💫🇬🇧#neverforgotten