Push notifications should be switched off as default to protect children, a leading charity has told MPs. Barnardo’s has warned that the endless alerts and pop-up from social media apps are dragging young people “into an uncontrolled spiral of internet use”. The charity also criticised features such as autoplay videos for creating unhealthy onlines habits and said it wanted companies to be forced to switch them off for children by law. Barnardo’s Chief Executive, Javed Khan said: “Addictive features on social media, like notifications, alerts and videos that play automatically, should be switched off by default on all devices, apps and games used by children. “Auto-play, and games that don’t allow users to stop or pause, are designed to drive excessive use. And there is growing evidence that large amounts of time spent on social media can pose a threat to children’s mental health.” “Barnardo’s is calling for a change in … [Read more...] about Social media push notifications should be switched off as default for children, MPs told
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Netflix will now show you adverts between episodes of your favourite series
Netflix is testing a new system of ads that puts show clips in between episodes of a series you're trying to watch. The paid-for video streaming service currently lets you binge watch a series with episodes running back to back. While you can now sit back and let the next episode autoplay, this new feature will play an advert instead. The adverts are for other shows, but they still break up the otherwise seamless viewing experience Netflix is known for. The fact that Netflix is testing this new "recommendation" between episodes service was reported in a statement to Ars Technica before Reddit began to chime in too. While some comments like "I said it would start like this," and "I've been predicting [this] for years" seem a bit dramatic, it's clear that some people don't like this idea. However, it does appear that viewers should be offered the option to skip the recommendation style advert if they want. This will likely be in a way that's similar to how an intro of an episode can be … [Read more...] about Netflix will now show you adverts between episodes of your favourite series
How to futureproof your kids – the mental health problem
How to futureproof your kids – the mental health problem By Harry de Quetteville How to futureproof your kids INTRODUCTION EARLY EDUCATION CAREER CHOICES MENTAL HEALTH PHYSICAL HEALTH FINANCE Our children use digital devices more than any previous generation – and they’re also reporting higher and higher rates of mental health issues. Coincidence? Probably not – but who are we to tell them to stop using their phones when we’re glued to our own? And isn’t that screen time only preparing them for the future anyway? Scroll on to learn the answers... 28 JULY 2018 • 8:51 AM BST Talk to anyone about the advantages of private education and chances are they will mention not just academic and social privilege but something else too, something intangible, almost mystical: confidence. When David Cameron was in Downing Street you heard it a lot, comments about his Etonian ease. His critics often … [Read more...] about How to futureproof your kids – the mental health problem
ConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightThe death of Don Draper
The advertising industry is currently enthralled by a prophet of its imminent demise. Scott Galloway is a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and founder of a marketing consultancy. In a much-shared YouTube video, he delivers a talk entitled “The Death of the Advertising-Industrial Complex” to an audience of young marketers. In it, he argues that businesses can no longer rely on advertising to compensate for mediocre products. Until the 1990s, says Galloway, the path to success lay in taking “an average beer, average car, or average suit” and wrapping it in appealing associations – this one makes you feel more elegant, this one makes you feel younger. Now, we live in an age in which the intangible haze of soft-sell is no longer necessary, and the battle for market share comes down to the raw strength of your product. “The sun has passed midday on brand,” he says. Galloway, lean of frame, dresses in the austerely … [Read more...] about ConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightConsumerBusinessSpotlightThe death of Don Draper
Microsoft is finally updating Notepad – here’s what’s changing
News by Press Association 12/07/2018, 12:50 pm FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Microsoft is planning to roll out some new features to its Notepad app for the first time in years – but don’t worry, it’s nothing too radical. Notepad’s simple approach has been largely unchanged since it arrived on Windows 1.0 in 1985, but the next version of Windows 10 will see some small yet long-requested additions to the app. The company’s latest preview includes some improvements to find and replace on Notepad, including an option to wrap around. It’s finally possible to zoom the text size as well, simply by holding the Ctrl button and the + or – keys. “A long outstanding request has been to add the ability to display line and column numbers when word-wrap is enabled,” the company added. “This is now possible in Notepad and we’ve made the status bar visible by default. … [Read more...] about Microsoft is finally updating Notepad – here’s what’s changing