Jess McBeath

Older people who use smartphones ‘have lower rates of cognitive decline’ Analysis of over-50s who engage with phones, tablets and other devices challenges fears of ‘digital dementia’ Fears that smartphones, tablets and other devices could drive dementia in later life have been challenged by research that found lower rates of cognitive decline in older people who used the technology. An analysis of published studies that looked at technology use and mental skills in more than 400,000 older adults found that over-50s who routinely used digital devices had lower rates of cognitive decline than those who used them less. Continue reading...

Older people who use smartphones ‘have lower rates of cognitive decline’

Thanks Alan! Lovely to chat yesterday.

Lonely People Are Even Sadder After Using Chatbots, Research Finds MIT and OpenAI teamed up to study how AI chatbots are making people feel. Where users ended up depends on where they started.

"... there is a need for a more holistic approach to AI literacy,” the study said. “Current AI literacy efforts predominantly focus on technical concepts, whereas they should also incorporate psychosocial dimensions.”

gizmodo.com/lonely-peopl...

Online safety training for school staff

Schools! Do your staff need online safety training?

Our webinar training for UK schools covers tech trends, research, tailored scenarios and resources for keeping young people safe online.

If you want to feel more confident about tech and kids, get in touch!

www.jessdigital.co.uk/ask-jess

Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online.

Today is #SaferInternetDay - This year we are learning all about scams online. For more information about the day take a look at the free UK Safer Internet Centre resources saferinternet.org.uk/safer-intern...

Screenshot of the 2024 Safer Internet Day Impact Report.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Or does it? 3 reasons to support #SaferInternetDay:

𝟱𝟮% 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗞 kids heard about SID last year
𝟯𝟭% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 spoke to a parent about an online worry
𝟱𝟯% o𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 who used the resources said the day led to disclosures

𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽: saferinternet.org.uk/safer-intern...

Brain food!

Supporting young people online begins with understanding their digital needs. Here is the Cybersurvey information and sign-up link for schools in the UK: www.thecybersurvey.co.uk

@nspcc.bsky.social research into generative AI and children's safety, with recommendations.

learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-res...

Get Safer Internet Day in your schedule! Schedule this post for 8am on the 11th February: Today is Safer Internet Day! Join us and @UK_SIC this #SaferInternetDay to create a better internet - RT to show your support saferinternetday.org.uk

It's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy to celebrate #SaferInternetDay!

Schedule your social media post for the day using the new social media toolkit. saferinternet.org.uk/safer-intern...

How human–AI feedback loops alter human perceptual, emotional and social judgements - Nature Human Behaviour Glickman and Sharot reveal a human–AI feedback loop, where AI amplifies subtle human biases, which are then further internalized by humans. This cycle, observed across various domains, leads to substa...

AI and bias: "when humans repeatedly interact with biased AI systems, they learn to be more biased themselves"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

UK Safer Internet Centre banner

We're in Bolton for the last #OnlineSafetyLive this week!

Lovely to be back be in Bradford!

Curry and online safety go very well together!

Safer Internet Day 2025 is on Tuesday 11th February. Co-ordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre.

It's 5 weeks until #SaferInternetDay!

1. Sign up to one of the January webinars for educators in Scotland, England, Wales & NI: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/childnet-4...

2. Grab a ticket for the Digital Youth Work Conference in Stirling: www.youthlink.scot/event/digita...

@digilearnscot.bsky.social