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People tell how their children have been negatively affected by the gaming platform or have come to serious harm

Exclusive: Gaming platform accused of troubling disconnect between child-friendly appearance and reality'

The US president has said no one is getting off the hook', as he promises to launch a national security investigation into the semiconductor sectorThe exemption of smartphones, laptops and other electronic products from import tariffs on China will be short-lived, top US officials have said, with Donald Trump warning that no one was getting off the hook."There was no Tariff exception', Trump said in a social media post on Sunday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff bucket.'" Continue reading...

Readers respond to Adrian Chiles's piece about the loud use of phones on public transport with no consideration for othersIn response to the article by Adrian Chiles (Where have all the headphones gone on public transport? The noise is eating into my soul, 9 April), I sat next to a guy on a flight who watched the entirety of an explosion- and gunfire-filled action film on his phone with no headphones. We'd spoken a little pre-flight and at the time I realised that that was my best chance to ask someone what the hell they thought they were doing. I also realised that if it went down badly, I had nowhere else to go.So I did what we all do, and sat and stewed in silence. I do regret not asking, and am filled with the same sense of wonder and disgust every time I'm in this situation on a bus or train. Continue reading...

New measures announced to help tariff-hit British firms amid ambitious plans to foster closer ties with EUThe chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has set out the case for far-reaching changes to global trade and economic agreements, admitting that Donald Trump's tariffs will have a profound" effect on the UK and world economies that require a strong international response.In her first significant intervention since the US president caused chaos on the global financial markets by announcing huge levies on imports to the US, Reeves says in a column for the Observer that she is under no illusion about the difficulties that lie ahead". Continue reading...

Amir Makled says immigration officials questioned him about his phone's contents. Experts warn fourth amendment rights have been weakened at the borderAmir Makled thought he was being racially profiled. A Lebanese American who was born and raised in Detroit, the attorney was returning home from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic when he said an immigration official at the Detroit Metro airport asked for a TTRT" agent after scanning his passport on Sunday. Makled said the expression on the agent's face changed. He felt something odd" was happening.So I Googled what TTRT meant. I didn't know," Makled said. And what I found out was it meant Tactical Terrorism Response Team. So immediately I knew they're gonna take me in for questioning. And that's when I felt like I was being racially profiled or targeted because I am Arab." Continue reading...

Meta ending DEI programs, getting rid of factcheckers and changing content moderation policies led to LDF's decisionOn Friday, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) announced its decision to exit Meta's external civil rights advisory group due to its concerns over Meta's content moderation and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) policy changes.In January, Meta made a series of sweeping changes, including ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, getting rid of its factcheckers and changing its content moderation policies. These changes, which some saw as aligning Meta with the then incoming Trump administration, informed the LDF's decision to leave the civil rights advisory group. Continue reading...

The Guardian speaks to Manna Aero founder and orders coffee via startup's app to be delivered to a suburban homeOne drone lifts up into the sky at a shopping centre on the outskirts of Dublin, then another. They rise to 70ft (21 metres), tilt forward and zip away in different directions, each carrying a paper bag.On a sleepy morning in the Irish capital the takeoffs build to a steady one every few minutes, with barely anyone glancing at the constant stream of aircraft buzzing back and forth. Continue reading...

Dogubomb/Raw Fury; PC, PS5, Xbox

Carmaker removes order now' buttons for Model S saloon and Model X SUV on its Chinese website amid tariffs war

ChatGPT developer asks US federal judge to stop former founder making any further attacksThe ChatGPT developer OpenAI has countersued Elon Musk, accusing the billionaire of harassment and asking a US federal judge to stop him from any further unlawful and unfair action" against the company.OpenAI was co-founded by Musk and its chief executive, Sam Altman, in 2015. However, the two men have been at loggerheads for years over its direction as it transitions from a complex non-profit structure into a more traditional for-profit business. Continue reading...

Sidelining Fifa's team-focused tactics to put you in the studded boots of a single player, Sloclap's open beta scoresIn the early 00s, offbeat sports games were king. From the slam-dunking shenanigans of NBA Street to Mario Strikers' show-stopping absurdity, once serious competitions were reimagined as wonderfully silly grudge matches. Yet as the live service era arrived, sport sims became less about pulse-pumping plays, and more about collecting increasingly expensive virtual trading cards.Enter Rematch, a refreshingly action-packed reimagining of the beautiful game. Channelling the scrappy thrills of Powerleague five-a-side, Rematch sidelines Fifa's team-focused tactics to put you in the studded boots of a single player. With controls like a third-person action game, developer Sloclap channels its martial arts-heavy experience with previous titles Sifu and Absolver into creating weighty, skill-driven football. It's wonderfully agile, fast and furious stuff. Passes are delivered manually, shots are curled in the heat of the moment, and goalies come sprinting down the halfway line like an Oliver Kahn possessed. Gratuitous slide tackles and bicycle kicks are the order of the day, and as my teammates and I score our respective half-line screamers, I can't stop grinning. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Momentum is growing for stricter smartphone rules for children, as schools, parents, and the Children's Commissioner push for bans amid rising concernsGood morning. If your child is using their smartphone at school, they are very likely to be breaking the rules. That is the conclusion of a new report from the Children's Commissioner, Rachel de Souza, which says that 90% of secondaries and almost 100% of primaries in England have policies in place limiting use of mobile phones in school hours, with many of them requiring children to leave their devices at home or hand them over when they arrive.Those figures, the most robust evidence yet on how schools handle the issue, might be seen as part of a broader pattern: where once there was little but resignation to the ubiquity of smartphones, there are growing signs of a fightback. Today's newsletter is about the evidence of a shift in how we treat smartphones in childhood - and how it happened much more gradually than it might appear. Here are the headlines.Trump tariffs | After their initial rally in response to Donald Trump's shock retreat on tariffs, US stocks fell again on Thursday. The sell-off deepened after a White House clarification noted that total tariffs on China had been raised by 145% since Trump took office.Women's health | More than a quarter of women in England are living with a serious reproductive health issue, according to the largest survey of its kind, and experts say systemic, operational, structural and cultural issues" prevent women from accessing care.UK Politics | Nigel Farage has rebuffed a suggestion from Kemi Badenoch that Conservative and Reform UK councillors could form coalitions in town halls after the local elections. The Reform leader said his party had no intention" of forming coalitions with the Tories at any level after 1 May.US news | A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York on Thursday, killing all six people onboard, including the pilot and a family of Spanish tourists with three children. The sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside down into the Hudson River.Peerages | Michael Gove is among those to be awarded a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours list. The veteran Conservative politician and editor of the Spectator, who retired as an MP at the last election, is understood to be on the list due to be published as soon as Friday. Continue reading...

Time without screens doesn't need to feel like homework, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But it might help to suggest some active alternatives

Campaign group Everyone Hates Elon organised protest with car bound for scrapheap to create debate about wealth inequality'Protective helmets were donned and sledgehammers wielded as Elon Musk critics vented their frustration at the Tesla boss and billionaire by smashing up a disused Tesla bound for the scrapheap.The public art project was organised by the social media campaign group Everyone Hates Elon. A 2014 Tesla Model S was provided by an anonymous donor to create a debate about wealth inequality", a spokesperson for the group said. Continue reading...

Ilyas Nagdee of Amnesty International and others respond to government plans to use personal data to identify people most likely to become killersRe your article (Dystopian' tool aims to predict murder, 9 April), the collection and automation of data has repeatedly led to the targeting of racialised and low-income communities, and must come to an end. This has been found by both Amnesty International in our Automated Racism report and by Statewatch in its findings on the murder prediction" tool.For many years, successive governments have invested in data-driven and data-based systems, stating they will increase public safety - yet individual police forces and Home Office evaluations have found no compelling evidence that these systems have had any impact on reducing crime. Continue reading...

Liftoff not possible' for rocket carrying Project Kuiper satellites, due to clouds that could trigger lightning strikesWeather prevented a rocket carrying the first batch of Amazon satellites designed to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink from lifting off on Wednesday, in a setback for the planned Project Kuiper network.Stubborn cumulus clouds and persistent winds make liftoff not possible within the available window," read a liveblog update from operator United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida had originally been slated for 7pm (2300 GMT). Continue reading...

Tech firm has reportedly flown 600 tonnes of handsets from Indian factories as Chinese goods face huge tariffsApple is reportedly chartering cargo flights to ferry iPhones from its Indian manufacturing plants to the US in an attempt to beat Donald Trump's tariffs.The tech company has flown 600 tonnes of iPhones, or as many as 1.5m handsets, to the US from India since March after ramping up production at its plants in the country, according to Reuters. Continue reading...

Forever running out of juice? Top up your battery-powered devices with our expert picks, from tiny smartphone chargers to portable power banks and even a power hat The best iPhones in 2025: which Apple smartphone is right for youIt's disempowering when your smartphone, laptop or other important gadget runs out of battery. With the flash of a graphic or a plaintive bleep, we lose a way to entertain ourselves, get things done, stay in touch or even get home safely. There's a time and a place for a digital detox - but what is the time, and where am I?Carrying a power bank is your ticket out of electronic oblivion. These pocket-sized cuboids plug into compatible devices and charge them, often via assorted connections, including USB-C and USB-A. Most power banks are made for charging smartphones and smaller gadgets, such as fitness trackers and earbuds, but some models can also charge power-hungrier laptops and large portable speakers.Best power bank overall:

Former Sinn Fein president says Facebook owner included at least seven of his books in trawl of copyright materialThe former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is considering legal action against Meta because it may have used his books to train artificial intelligence.Adams said the tech company included at least seven of his books in a vast trawl of copyright material to develop its AI systems. Meta has used many of my books without my permission. I have placed the issue in the hands of my solicitor," he said. Continue reading...

The billionaire's Doge may be secretly recording meetings in at least two agencies, according to emails from senior officialsAt the Department of Veterans Affairs, a senior official warned employees in an email that virtual meetings were being secretly recorded. Anyone dissatisfied with Donald Trump's decisions should be careful about voicing their opinions, the official cautioned.Over at the state department, IT staff said new monitoring software had been loaded onto computers. Some staffers had started using white noise machines in their offices, or even turned on an office breakroom sink, to muffle conversations in case there might be any hot mics within range. Continue reading...

Pupils to be separated from devices for entire school day from September after trial of digital pause' schemeFrance is to tighten its ban on the use of mobile phones in middle schools, making pupils at the ages of 11 to 15 shut away their devices in a locker or pouch at the start of the day and access them again only as they are leaving.The education minister told the senate she wanted children to be fully separated from their phones throughout the school day in all French middle schools from September. Continue reading...

British startup will license content to train latest model for more human-like performances' from its avatarsA $2bn (1.6bn) British startup that uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic avatars has struck a licensing deal with the stock footage firm Shutterstock to help develop its technology.Synthesia will pay the US-based Shutterstock an undisclosed sum to use its library of corporate video footage to train its latest AI model. It expects that incorporating the clips into its model will produce even more realistic expressions, vocal tones and body language from the avatars. Continue reading...

A new progressivism embracing construction over obstruction must find new allegories for technology and the futureBlack Mirror is more than science fiction - its stories about modernity have become akin to science folklore, shaping our collective view of technology and the future.Each new innovation gets an allegory: smartphones as tools for a new age caste system, robot dogs as overzealous human hunters, drones as a murderous swarm, artificial intelligence as new age necromancy, virtual reality and brain chips as seizure-inducing nightmares, to name a few. Episodes most often channel our collective anxieties about the future - or foment new ones through masterly writing, directing, casting and acting. It is a must-watch, but must we take it so seriously? Continue reading...

Head of National Education Union calls for statutory ban on phones in schools and social media ban for under-16sAlmost all schools in England have banned mobile phone use by pupils, according to the first national survey conducted, as the leader of the largest teaching union called for a statutory ban owing to the damaging impact" on young people.The national survey, ordered by Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, showed that headteachers have swiftly instituted bans on smartphone use during school hours. The survey of more than 15,000 schools found that 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools have some form of ban. Continue reading...

Five new boxes in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire enable company to cash in on boom in secondhand sellingRoyal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered postbox of the future" with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size.In the biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago", the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. Continue reading...

Business owners warn taxes may increase parts prices, making electronics repairs more costly than beforeTariffs that took effect in the US at midnight on Wednesday are expected to make buying new smartphones more expensive. But opting to fix an old or damaged device as a way to save money may not avoid a higher bill.We do expect that we'll have to increase our own parts prices some, too, unfortunately," said Elizabeth Chamberlain, the director of sustainability at the device repair company iFixit. We're actively looking for sources of harvested parts from within the US. Even with higher prices on parts, however, repairs will still be much more economical than buying new." Continue reading...

Former TV doctor who leads $1.5tn Medicare and Medicaid agency also says staff have patriotic duty' to stay healthyDr Mehmet Oz reportedly told federal staffers that artificial intelligence models may be better than frontline human physicians in his first all-staff meeting this week.Oz told staffers that if a patient went to the doctor for a diabetes diagnosis it would cost roughly $100 an hour, compared with $2 an hour for an AI visit, according to unnamed sources who spoke to Wired magazine. He added that patients may prefer an AI avatar. Continue reading...

Experts doubt Trump line that tariffs and company's $500bn investment will shift manufacturing from AsiaThe White House is insisting that Donald Trump's vision of Apple's flagship iPhones being manufactured in the US will come to fruition, despite assertions from analysts and the company itself that it would not be possible.The press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters during Tuesday's briefing that the president believed Apple's recently announced $500bn investment, as well as increasing import costs sparked by his trade tariffs, would encourage the company to ramp up manufacturing in the US. Continue reading...

Just one antisocial fellow traveller can ruin a journey. Is it a giant two-fingered gesture to the rest of the world?Some time in the early years of the last decade, a friend and I travelled by train from London to Barcelona, where we would be covering a football match for work. We had a very nice day, playing Scrabble and drinking train wine as we sped south. The only problem was that a kid near us, not 10 years old, was watching a cartoon or playing a game on an iPad without the benefit of headphones. The sound wasn't so much loud as persistent. Slowly but surely it drilled its way into our skulls and started to eat into our souls. I shot the family a couple of glances but got a look back which managed to communicate two things. Firstly that they were sorry. Secondly that if they took the iPad off the kid, we'd all be sorry. So, on he went. And an otherwise perfectly pleasurable journey started to drag.Then I had an idea. I got my headphones out of my bag, caught the mother's eye, and handed them over. After a bit of faff they were connected to the iPad, the wretched noise ceased and I got a round of applause from men, women and children of many nations. I relate this story even though I never think it's a good look to be the hero of your own anecdotes. My excuse is that the incident reminds me of how rare such behaviour was back then. Yes, people were known to yak away too loudly on their phones, but whoever they were talking at remained a stranger to us. And if anyone was watching or listening to something, they'd be using headphones. True, a bit of tinny noise would occasionally leak out, which was annoying, but that was about as bad as things got.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

The second Trump administration was backed and is staffed by two major - and widely differing - ideological projectsThe start of the second Trump administration has been chaotic, to put it mildly. It is difficult for Americans to understand what exactly the administration is trying to do and how it will affect them. It has been simultaneously a colossal remaking of the US state and the entire global order, but also seemingly haphazard, with significant policy decisions such as spending cuts and tariff rates clearly made with little thought or preparation. Analysts and commentators of all stripes have speculated on the motives and strategy behind the Trump administration's huge overhaul of society. But what is the Trump administration's plan for the US?The primary moves the administration has made are major cuts to federal government capacity through the department of government efficiency" (Doge) and now an unprecedented tariff regime that has sent financial markets into a free fall. Some view these changes as part of a grand overarching strategy to rebuild some version of an imagined past America: globally hegemonic and able to exercise power nakedly over other countries, economically self-sufficient with a large manufacturing base, and a reassertion of the previous social norms and order around gender, race, and sexuality. But a deeper dive into the Trump administration's explanation of their policies and vision reveals that rather than a single, coherent ideological project, the Trump administration is sclerotic and being used as a vehicle for more than one competing ideological project. Continue reading...

Up to five sites with power-hungry supercomputers and datacentres planned to drive AI moonshots'

Amazon, Google and Microsoft are building datacentres in water-scarce parts of five continentsAmazon, Microsoft and Google are operating datacentres that use vast amounts of water in some of the world's driest areas and are building many more, the non-profit investigatory organisation SourceMaterial and the Guardian have found.With Donald Trump pledging to support them, the three technology giants are planning hundreds of datacentres in the US and across the globe, with a potentially huge impact on populations already living with water scarcity. Continue reading...

Ofcom's first investigation to look into whether site took adequate measures to shield users from illegal contentThe UK communications regulator has announced its first investigation under the new digital safety laws with an inquiry into an online suicide forum.Ofcom is investigating whether the site breached the Online Safety Act by failing to put in place adequate measures to shield its users from illegal content. Continue reading...

Astro Bot wins in five categories as the night's most nominated Senua's Saga: Hellblade II victorious in just oneIn a video game year dominated by dark, bloody fantasy adventures - and continued job losses and studio closures - it was a cute robot that stole the night at the 2025 Bafta video game awards. Sony's family-friendly platformer Astro Bot won in five categories at yesterday evening's ceremony, including best game and game design.The rest of the awards were evenly spread across a range of Triple A and independent titles. Oil rig thriller Still Wakes the Deep was the next biggest winner with three awards: new intellectual property, performer in a leading role and performer in a supporting role. Clearly actors looking for Bafta-winning roles need look no further than the North Sea. The only other multiple winner was online shooter Helldivers 2, which won in multiplayer and music. The night's most nominated title, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, was victorious in just the one category: technical achievement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Algorithms allegedly being used to study data of thousands of people, in project critics say is chilling and dystopian'The UK government is developing a murder prediction" programme which it hopes can use personal data of those known to the authorities to identify the people most likely to become killers.Researchers are alleged to be using algorithms to analyse the information of thousands of people, including victims of crime, as they try to identify those at greatest risk of committing serious violent offences. Continue reading...

In Australia, a team of artists and scientists have resurrected the US composer Alvin Lucier. It raises a storm of questions about AI and authorship - and it's also incredibly beautifulIn a darkened room, a fractured symphony of rattles, hums and warbles bounces off the walls - like an orchestra tuning up in some parallel universe. But there's not a musician in sight.If you look closely there is a small fragment of a performer. Albeit one without a pulse. Continue reading...

Deal to buy Holland Park home, which ex-CEO reportedly plans to rent out, is latest by an American in the capital

Just reading this cartoon might get you thrown into an El Salvadoran jail - don't do it!

Self-tracking is regularly promoted as a way toward self-improvement. But life is not a mathematical problem waiting to be solvedInspired by a curiosity to factcheck my own feelings, I've been tracking my mood: Far too often a bad day can feel like a permanent state rather than a passing experience. As it turns out, observing the little coloured emojis on my mood chart, one bad day does not, in fact, mean I am doomed to live a blue crying-face life forever. Thank goodness.Others track themselves in different ways: monitoring daily step counts, tracking sleep cycles and bodily functions, counting calories, logging meals and so on. Digital technologies, wearable devices and an array of platforms make this easier than ever. Many people set reading targets and log books read on Goodreads or films watched on Letterboxd. Some track daily outfits online with the goal of perfecting personal style. Self-tracking is regularly promoted as a way toward self-improvement.Samantha Floreani is a digital rights activist and writer based in Melbourne/Naarm Continue reading...

On Celebheights.com, thousands of users measure the statures of the rich and famous. The methods are scientific and the debates are fieryAs someone brushing up on 6'3", height is one physical insecurity I've never agonised over. Instead, it's a source of frustration as I crunch my legs into airplane seats and wait for them to go numb.Only after discovering Celebheights.com did I truly understand the depth of feeling - both excitement and rage - that height can inspire. Continue reading...

Exploitation fears as people in extreme poverty perform stunts and beg for virtual giftsThree young children huddle in front of a camera, cross-legged and cupping their hands. Please support me. We are very poor," says a boy, staring down the lens.They appear to be in a mud-brick hut in Afghanistan, living in extreme poverty. But their live stream is reaching viewers in the UK and worldwide - via TikTok Live. Continue reading...

Anonymous donations made to Molly Rose Foundation, set up after UK teenager took her own life after viewing harmful material on social mediaMeta and Pinterest have reportedly made significant donations to the Molly Rose Foundation, a charity set up to campaign for internet safety.The foundation was set up in the name of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful material linked to suicide and self-harm on social media platforms. Continue reading...

More than 850 men a month are arrested for online child abuse offences in England and Wales. They come from every walk of life: teachers, police officers, doctors, TV presenters. And the numbers are rising every year. How did this happen?Andy was enjoying a weekend away with his wife when it happened. My neighbour phoned me and said, The police are in your house. They're looking for you.'" He didn't need to wonder why. You know. You know the reason. I was petrified when I got that call. It wasn't just the thought of other people knowing what I had done; I also had to face myself, and that is a sick feeling - it is guilt, shame."Andy had been watching and sharing images of children being sexually abused for several months before the police appeared at his door. He tried at first to keep it from his wife: I was afraid she would ask me to leave. I wouldn't have blamed her if she had." Continue reading...

Deadline set by US president was supposed to be Saturday, with Trump now considering decreasing tariffs to get dealDonald Trump said he will sign an executive order to extend the TikTok ban deadline. This is the second time the president will have delayed the ban or sale of the social media app, and will punt the deadline to 75 days from now.The TikTok deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed", Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Friday. Continue reading...

A trial is under way but the government faces many hurdles - including whether Trump-emboldened tech companies will comply

PC, Xbox; Compulsion Games

California cases over AI trainers' use of work by writers including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Chabon transferred to consolidate with New York suits from John Grisham and Jonathan Franzen and moreTwelve US copyright cases against OpenAI and Microsoft have been consolidated in New York, despite most of the authors and news outlets suing the companies being opposed to centralisation.A transfer order made by the US judicial panel on multidistrict litigation on Thursday said that centralisation will allow a single judge to coordinate discovery, streamline pretrial proceedings, and eliminate inconsistent rulings". Continue reading...

Vertical dramas' consisting of minute-long episodes are booming, with market predicted to be worth $14bn by 2027Found a Homeless Billionaire Husband for Christmas. The Quarterback Next Door. Revenge of the XXL Wife. My Secret Agent Husband.These may sound like cringey fantasies, but they're actually titles of vertical dramas", a new form of episodic television that is gripping millions around the world. Continue reading...

It may not reinvent the wheel but the forthcoming racer looks awesome, plays flawlessly, offers more exhilarating carnage than ever before - and even allows some open-world exploration