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‘I’m picking winners’: UK business secretary takes activist approach to economic growth

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AI evangelist Peter Kyle wants to scale up businesses, attract overseas investors and look out for UK’s poorer regionsThe UK business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said he is “betting big” and “picking winners” as the government takes direct stakes in growing businesses to boost economic growth.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he […]

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How screen time affects toddlers: ‘We’re losing a big part of being human’

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Children, Early years education, Education, Primary schools, Social media, Social media ban, Society, Technology, UK news

In the UK, 98% of two-year-olds watch screens on a typical day, on average for more than two hours – and almost 40% of three- to five-year-olds use social media. Could this lead to alarming outcomes?At Stoke primary school in Coventry, there are many four-year-olds among those starting in reception class who can’t sit still,

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Government admits its approval for Buckinghamshire AI datacentre should be quashed

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Campaigners hail U-turn during legal challenge over proposed centre an ‘embarrassing climbdown’The government has been forced to admit its own planning approval for a major AI datacentre should be quashed after it failed to fully consider the climate impact, in what campaigners described as “an embarrassing climbdown”.Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, had overruled

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The Guardian view on toddlers and screens: more reasons to be fearful of big tech | Editorial

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Growing concerns about the impact of smartphones on the youngest children must be addressedThe first UK government guidance on young children’s use of tablets, smartphones and other screens, expected in April, cannot come soon enough. The laissez-faire approach to the boom in social media, handheld devices and other digital technology was arguably nowhere less suitable

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Children need protecting from social media – and generative AI | Letters

ai, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Artificial Intelligence, Children, Digital media, Education, Family, Friendship, Grok AI, Instagram, Keir Starmer, Labour, Media, Mental health, Parents and parenting, Politics, Social media, Social media ban, Social media bans, Society, Teaching, TikTok, UK news, Young people

Dr Madeline G Reinecke says any policy focused on protecting children must broaden its scope beyond traditional social media platforms, while Alexandra Cocksworth says real connections are crucial. Plus a letter from Ali OliverThe government’s consultation surrounding whether to ban social media for under-16s responds to widespread concern about digital harms (UK ministers launch consultation

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The year of the ‘hectocorn’: the $100bn tech companies that could float in 2026

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OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Stripe are rumoured to be among ten of the biggest companies considering IPOsYou’ve probably heard of “unicorns” – technology startups valued at more than $1bn – but 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “hectocorn”, with several US and European companies potentially floating on stock markets at valuations

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Badenoch tells Starmer to ‘just get on’ with under-16s social media ban

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Tory leader says delay will harm children’s mental health after No 10 said it would consult on policy by summerAs a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to doKemi Badenoch has called on Keir Starmer to “just get on” with a ban on

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Superstates and spheres of influence | Brief letters

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Orwell’s insight | Antisocial media | AI takeover | Howff Club | Beyond the TamarInteresting article by Brendan Simms of Cambridge University on spheres of influence in the world (Has a Nazi theorist’s vision of a world divided into ‘great spaces’ found a new advocate in Trump?, 16 January). Is anyone else reminded of the three

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UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

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Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and familyA pioneering investigation into the impact of restricting social media access for children in the UK has been announced as politicians around the world consider action on the issue.In December, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s

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Elon Musk floats idea of buying Ryanair after calling CEO ‘an idiot’

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Tesla boss clashed with Michael O’Leary when airline boss rejected installing Starlink technology on aircraftBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk has floated the idea of buying the budget airline Ryanair, escalating his public spat with the Irish carrier’s boss, Michael O’Leary.The two outspoken businessmen have locked horns since last week, when O’Leary was asked whether

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