As our world becomes over-saturated with increasingly unattainable beauty standards showcased by celebrity and influencer culture, it’s getting harder to look in the mirror and like what looks back. Today’s teenagers and preteens are no strangers to this pressure. While there’s no way to pinpoint one single cause, the trajectory between what young people see online and the effects this can have on behaviour is well documented. According to a 2025 study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, a...

Digital literacy is as essential for children today as languages and maths, and it’s no secret that AI has changed how students approach their studies. But reliance on AI and other technology can affect the development of crucial soft skills in children. “The skills most under pressure are patience, sustained attention, critical thinking and contemplation,” says Ryan Stevenson, co-founder and director of Bright Heart Education, a UK-based tutoring agency. “These all require time, whereas AI can...

Picture a birthday party. Children gather around a tablet, feeding a group photo into an app that makes everyone dance in silly hats and sing along. Or a family gathering, where a black-and-white picture of grandparents is uploaded into the same app, “reviving” them as young adults. It looks fun, harmless. But according to Home Security Heroes, one in three of these apps can also generate pornographic content. The US-based identity theft protection company found in its 2023 State of Deepfakes...