Code of practice to boost user safety launched for apps

  • The UK Government have announced a new voluntary code of practice for app store operators and developers that will ask them to boost privacy and security to better protect users.
  • The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have said that the new measures for app store operators will include requirements for a reporting process for users to flag issues and ensure security updates and measures are highlighted
  • They have said they would work with big tech companies such as Google and Apple to aid the implementation of the code over nine months.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Standard’s and UK Government websites.

Single-sex girl schools lead league tables and give better mental health support

  • New research by the Sunday Times Parent Power rankings have shown that both private and state single-sex girl schools are at the top of academic league tables.
  • It has found that girls in the UK’s leading single-sex schools appear to have coped better with the Covid pandemic than boys-only or co-educational schools.
  • Many girls-only schools have been found to be setting up wellbeing centres, where girls can gain access to counselling and psychological support.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Belfast Telegraph’s website.

Children stopped sleeping and eating to play Fortnite- Lawsuit

  • A Canadian judge has approved a lawsuit brought by three parents who say their children became addicted to Fortnite.
  • The plaintiffs have said that their children would not sleep, eat, or shower because of their addiction.
  • The World Health Organisation recognised video-game addiction in 2018, however Epic Games has argued that video-game addiction is not a recognised psychological disorder.
  • One of the children reportedly played over 7,700 hours of the game in less than two years.
  • For more on this story, please visit the BBC News website.

Study finds most convicted terrorists radicalised online

  • The study for the Ministry of Justice found that most convicted terrorists in Britain were turned to extremism by the internet.
  • Half of those reportedly radicalised online have some problems with mental health, depression, autism, or personality disorders.
  • From 2013-15, 43% of those in prison for terrorism were radicalised wholly or partially online, rising to 92% between 2019-21.
  • It is thought that the steep rise could have been further inflated by Covid lockdowns.
  • The report also states that some driven to support Islamist terrorism were radicalised by games such as Call of Duty.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Guardian’s website.