Ninja holds the distinguished title of Chief Innovation Officer at Gamesquare

A group of firms including Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Deloitte and Cboe Global Markets are planning to launch a

Superdry said extreme weather events across the UK and Europe hurt sales for its spring-summer collection. The fashion

Thursday’s newly disclosed vulnerabilities in iOS were used to install spyware on an iPhone belonging

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 5, 2023--

There is no evidence to suggest using Facebook is detrimental to wellbeing, Oxford scientists have said, challenging the view that the social media platform is linked to psychological harm. Researchers from the University’s Oxford Internet Institute analysed data from nearly a million people across 72 countries over 12 years – in the largest study of its kind – to understand more about the impact of Facebook on wellbeing. Professor Andrew Przybylski, who co-led the research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, said: “We examined the best available data carefully – and found they did not support the idea that Facebook membership is related to harm – quite the opposite. “In fact, our analysis indicates Facebook is possibly related to positive well-being.” The research looked at Facebook data from 2008 to 2019, going back to when the platform was in its early stages. “We examined 72 countries’ per capita active Facebook users in males and females in two age brackets, 13-34 years and 35+ years,” the researchers said. The results also showed the association between using Facebook and wellbeing was slightly more positive for males as well as for younger people. Writing in the research paper, the authors said: “Although reports of negative psychological outcomes associated with social media are common in academic and popular writing, evidence for harms is, on balance, more speculative than conclusive.” Professor Matti Vuorre, also of the Oxford Internet Institute, who co-led the study, said: “Our findings should help guide the debate surrounding social media towards more empirical research foundations. “We need more transparent collaborative research between independent scientists and the technology industry to better determine how, when and why modern online platforms might be affecting their users.” Commenting on the study, Peter Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, said: “This is a fascinating study that attempts to link Facebook uptake with measures of mental wellbeing in a broad-strokes manner, using data from over 70 countries. “Contrary to popular sentiment, the researchers didn’t find a negative association between the two; instead, it was generally the case that there were positive associations between country-level Facebook uptake and mental wellbeing. “To my mind, the value in this study lies in proof of principle – it demonstrates that it’s possible to leverage industry data to address meaningful questions about how digital technology interacts with our mental health.” But Prof Etchells said there were some caveats associated with the findings – which the study authors have addressed. He said: “This is a descriptive study, and as such cannot tell us anything about causation – that is, we don’t know how, if, or to what extent, changes in Facebook adoption drive changes in mental wellbeing. “Wellbeing is a complex phenomenon, and even in the context of social media use, we need to be careful drawing any firm conclusions by looking at how people use a single platform such as Facebook.” Read More Move fast and beat Musk: The inside story of how Meta built Threads Japan's tech investor SoftBank trims losses and promises offensive turnaround Chatbots sometimes make things up. Not everyone thinks AI's hallucination problem is fixable Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

YouTube says it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election and other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by widespread fraud, errors or glitches

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Panasonic Holdings Corp aims to ramp up production of battery cells used in electric vehicles by building

LOS ALTOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2023--

The US Supreme Court left in place a broad liability shield for social media companies for content posted

Snapchat says it's working to make its app even safer for teen users.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has urged the public to think about their data privacy before buying smart tech devices in Black Friday sales. The data protection regulator has issued a set of tips for shoppers ahead of the online sales event, reminding them to research how different smart devices collect their data before purchasing them. The tips encourage people to “think before you click” to buy a new smart device, but once they do have it to ensure they regularly install software updates, choose a strong password and “be picky” about who gets access to their personal data. Our recent investigation found smart tech firms are collecting more data than they need and burying this important information in lengthy terms and conditions Rocio Concha, Which? “We know that consumers want to enjoy the benefits of smart devices but that they also value their privacy in an increasingly connected world,” information commissioner John Edwards said. “They shouldn’t have to choose between the two. These tips from our tech experts will help consumers to make informed purchases and have more control over how their personal data is being used.” The ICO’s guidance also encourages people to wipe their old devices before they get rid of them, and request their data be deleted via a device’s settings or by contacting the company behind the device. Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer group Which? said: “Which? is warning consumers to be wary when shopping for connected tech products this Black Friday. “Make sure you have researched the product you’re thinking of buying, steer clear of any that have concerning security flaws and check to see how you can control the data the device is able to access or collect. “Our recent investigation found smart tech firms are collecting more data than they need and burying this important information in lengthy terms and conditions. “It’s positive that the ICO is looking at updating its guidelines on smart tech privacy and vital that this leads to better protection for consumers against accidentally giving up huge swathes of their own data without realising.” Read More Meta to allow users to delete Threads accounts without losing Instagram AI among biggest threats to next UK election, cyber security agency warns AI can create Caucasian faces that look more real than actual humans – study