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November 1, 2023

Sky and TalkTalk block suicide website linked to 50 deaths

  • A leading UK broadband provider has blocked access for its 5.7 million users to a website that promotes suicide content on its platform.
  • Sky Broadband says the forum will be automatically banned if home users are using its standard filters.
  • TalkTalk has also reported that the site has now been added to its list of inappropriate content and could be blocked by users.
  • This follows a BBC investigation which revealed the forum has been linked to more than 50 deaths in the UK.
  • Following the publication of the BBC investigation, administrators of the controversial pro-suicide site have posted a message on its front page claiming that UK digital regulator Ofcom “threatened to block this site under the newly passed Online Safety Bill.
  • The post stated that it didn’t “give any less of a damn”.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.

Temu adverts banned for sexualising a child and objectifying women

  • Online retailer Temu has had an advert banned for sexualising a child.
  • Temu is a Chinese-owned online marketplace where sellers can upload images of their products.
  • The advert showed a girl aged between eight and 11 wearing a bikini in a pose that was classed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) as “quite adult for a girl of her age”.
  • It also banned four other adverts for showing sexual images and pictures which objectified women.
  • Temu has stated that the picture of the child violated their marketing policy and would not be shown again.
  • The online retailer disputed the other complaints, but all were ruled to be inappropriate by the ASA.
  • The ASA said it has warned Temu to ensure future adverts were appropriate, under-18s should not be shown in a sexual way and that ads should be responsibly targeted.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.

‘Most of our friends use AI in schoolwork’

  • BBC young reporters Theo and Ben have been looking at both the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential.
  • They asked their classmates how they have used it to try and aid their homework.
  • Their form groups filled out an anonymous survey. A total of 31 out of 33 had used AI in schoolwork and 27 thought it should be taught in schools.
  • In interviews, most of their friends and classmates stated they had used ChatGPT to help come up with ideas, research and things like structuring and phrasing.
  • Some admitted they had used it to help them cheat, though this did not always go to plan, with one person saying it got 90% wrong in a physics assignment.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.

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Caldicot school parents worry as teachers strike

  • Parents say they have been “left in the dark” over a dispute which has seen teachers at Caldicot Comprehensive school in Monmouthshire striking over pupil behaviour.
  • Staff have staged two walkouts since September over what they feel is a failure to address violence and abuse.
  • Members of the NASUWT union are refusing to teach some pupils who they believe are a risk to staff.
  • Monmouthshire council have said it was committed to resolving the issue.
  • One parent of children at the school has started a petition asking for an open meeting for parents with the local authority and school management.
  • The parent stated there had been a lack of information, and this made things difficult.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.