Australia plans a minimum age limit for social media use

Australia plans a minimum age limit for social media use
By Reuters, CNN, 10 September 2024

Australia intends to set a minimum age limit for children to use social media, citing concerns about mental and physical health. The plan has sparked backlash from digital rights advocates who warn the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.

(Photo):  The law would put Australia among the first countries in the world to impose an age restriction on social media. Keiko Iwabuchi/Moment RF/Getty Images

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his center-left government would run an age verification trial before introducing age minimum laws for social media this year.

Albanese didn’t specify an age but said it would likely be between 14 and 16.

Is EMF-Altered Brain Morphology Increasing School Shootings and Violence?

Is EMF-Altered Brain Morphology Increasing School Shootings and Violence?
QuantaDose Press Releases, quantadose.com, 5 September 2024

School shootings are an alarming trend that leaves communities searching for answers. While the causes of such violence are often attributed to mental health issues, societal influences, or easy access to firearms, there’s a critical environmental factor that has gone largely overlooked: the role of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), particularly from wireless technology, and their impact on brain development and behavior. Could school shootings be an unintended consequence of the wireless age?

This article explores the link between EMF exposure and altered brain morphology, delving into how wireless radiation might be influencing the rise in neurodevelopmental disorders, impulsive behaviors, and violence among today’s youth. The urgent need for updated safety guidelines to protect the future of our children from the bioelectrical disruption caused by EMFs is undeniable.

Billionaires Blast into Space as Billions Suffer on Planet Earth

Billionaires blast into space as billions suffer on planet Earth

oxfam.org, 19 July 2021

In response to Jeff Bezos’ space flight scheduled for Tuesday, Deepak Xavier, Oxfam International's Global Head of Inequality Campaign, said:

“We’ve now reached stratospheric inequality. Billionaires burning into space, away from a world of pandemic, climate change and starvation. 11 people are likely now dying of hunger each minute while Bezos prepares for an 11-minute personal space flight. This is human folly, not human achievement.

"The ultra-rich are being propped up by unfair tax systems and pitiful labor protections. US billionaires got around $1.8 trillion richer since the beginning of the pandemic and nine new billionaires were created by Big Pharma’s monopoly on the COVID-19 vaccines. Bezos pays next to no US income tax but can spend $7.5 billion on his own aerospace adventure. Bezos' fortune has almost doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. He could afford to pay for everyone on Earth to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and still be richer than he was when the pandemic began.

German Lifeguards Warn Children Are Drowning as Parents Increasingly Distracted by Their Mobile Phones

German lifeguards warn children are drowning as parents increasingly distracted by their mobile phones
by Justin Huggler, telegraph.co.uk, 5 August 2018

The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) has linked a
series of recent drownings to parents who were too busy
with their mobile phones. Credit: Fabian Bimmer/
Reuters

Children are being endangered by their parents’ obssession with smartphones, lifeguards in Germany have warned.

The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) has linked a series of recent drownings to parents who were too busy with their mobile phones to keep proper watch over the children.

“Not enough parents and grandparents follow the advice: when your children and grandchildren are in the water, put your smartphone away,” Achim Wiese, a spokesman for the DLRG, said.

This summer has seen an alarming spike in drownings in Germany, as adults and children take to the country’s lakes, rivers and beaches to escape the heatwave.

More than 300 people have drowned so far this year, including 20 children under the age of 15 and 40 young people between the ages of 16 and 25.

Digipigi – It’s All about Money

“Today, CS, UBS, Migros, Coop, H & M and the other legal dealers of this world are targeting our children with digitized entry-level drugs.”  

Digipigi – It’s All about Money
by the Editor, "Towards Better Health", 2 November 2017

Crédit Suisse, the second largest Swiss bank, has recently created a connected piggy bank called "Digipigi", available for now only in Switzerland.1 Its purpose seems to be to attract clients from the youngest age with the hope of keeping them from "cradle to the grave". It is being promoted as a way of teaching children how to handle money from a very young age and to prepare them for a cashless society. Digipigi is not suitable for children under age 3. 2

Digipigi is full of technology. It is not just a clock, an alarm clock, a night light but communicates via Wi-Fi with the associated smartphone apps, one for the child and one for the parents. The digital pig interacts with the child with 25 different facial expressions and noises and talks to the child.

 Is this like other connected toys, inviting easy access of hackers to the personal details of children?  Almost as bad as hacking, the personal data of children is tracked and used for the purpose of marketing such items as product offers, prize games or website content.  "The bank tracks users' behavior in the Digipigi apps and Digipigi money box together with the related personal information and stores this data on servers in Switzerland for five years."3  This is not mentioned in the Instruction Manual.

Tesla Factory Workers Reveal Pain, Injury and Stress: 'Everything Feels Like the Future But Us'

Inside Tesla's car-production center in Fremont, California.  The
factory employs some 10,000 workers.  Photo:  Tesla

"Ambulances have been called more than 100 times since 2014 for workers experiencing fainting spells, dizziness, seizures, abnormal breathing and chest pains, according to incident reports obtained by the Guardian. Hundreds more were called for injuries and other medical issues."

Tesla factory workers reveal pain, injury and stress: 'Everything feels like the future but us'

by Julia Carrie Wong in Fremont, California, The Guardian, 18 May 2017

Exclusive: CEO Elon Musk defends workplace, saying ‘[we are not] just greedy capitalists who skimp on safety’ – and declares his $50bn company overvalued

When Tesla bought a decommissioned car factory in Fremont, California, Elon Musk transformed the old-fashioned, unionized plant into a much-vaunted “factory of the future”, where giant robots named after X-Men shape and fold sheets of metal inside a gleaming white mecca of advanced manufacturing.

The appetite for Musk’s electric cars, and his promise to disrupt the carbon-reliant automobile industry, has helped Tesla’s value exceed that of both Ford and, briefly, General Motors (GM). But some of the human workers who share the factory with their robotic counterparts complain of grueling work pressure they attribute to Musk’s aggressive production goals, and sometimes life-changing injuries.

Robots: How They'll Disrupt Different Careers

© Provided by thecanadianpress.com

Robots: How they'll disrupt different careers
by Alexander Panetta, Canadian Press/ msn.com, 20 March 2017

WASHINGTON - A wrecking ball is coming for the labour market, analysts warn. As computer-processing power doubles each year and machines learn from their mistakes, sources say the upcoming federal budget will examine the potential of artificial intelligence to disrupt — industries, politics, and entire societies.

It's been mostly blue-collar workers hit so far, but white-collar jobs are next, a research project at Oxford University concluded in 2013. It said 47 per cent of jobs risk being automated.

Infantalizing Robots for the Elderly

Not only children may be adversely affected by interactive robots but also the elderly...  

No to the infantalizing robot
by Martial Van der Linden and Anne-Claude Juillerat Van der Linden, Readers' Mail, Tribune de Genève, 14 June 2016

Certain EMS [homes for the elderly] in the canton have acquired or are planning to acquire, a roboticized baby seal named Paro costing 5,000 francs ($4,900).  This baby seal, which responds to caresses and can also show dissatisfaction would stimulate interactions of persons who have dementia, awakening their emotions and easing their anxiety...

Our Responsibility Towards Mother Earth and Mankind

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

REPOSTED, AS OUR CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - 5 JUNE:

In 2001, I attended a talk given by Chief Arvol Looking Horse , 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Great Sioux Nation. During the talk, he said, “Many of you dreamed about the white buffalo in 1994.” The words stunned me, for I had had such a dream that year. I was standing on the edge of a very wide, deep pit, torn out of the earth by a huge machine. Looking into the distance, I saw a white buffalo on a hill. I took this to mean that we are desecrating the earth. The white buffalo appeared to us as a warning. The following from the “Native American” site tells the story of the white buffalo. The birth of one in 1994 had a very significant meaning for the native peoples. It signified “a time of profound change upon the planet and a new level of responsibility for mankind.”   

This is my message for the New Year.  Each and every one of us has a responsibility to care for Mother Earth and humankind.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse reminds us of our responsibility towards the earth and mankind:

10 Shocking Medical Conditions Caused by Gaming

Photosensitive epilepsy is a common form of epilepsy in
which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli that form
patterns in time or space, such as flashing lights, bold,
regular patterns, or regular moving patter

We know of a young man who cannot take exams in school because he can no longer write by hand.  Would you think his doctors would ask about his intense habit of gaming?

10 Shocking Medical Conditions Caused By Gaming
by Beverly Jenkins, oddee.com, 

23 November 2012

1. Playstation Thumb

Though this ailment is often called "Playstation Thumb," the condition can affect anyone who uses a game with a d-pad controller. Symptoms of “PlayStation Thumb” include numbness and tingling in the thumb and large, open blisters caused by repetitive motion that require weeks to heal.

Violent Video Games Linked to Risk of Delinquency and Alcohol

M-rated video games: M for mistake to let teens spend so much time playing them?
by Maureen Downey, ajc.com, 

6 August 2014

We’ve had a lot of discussions on the blog about the impact of smart phones and social media on kids’ educational engagement and social skills. Those conversations have eclipsed the discussion around video games, a pastime of virtually all American kids.

A new study out of Dartmouth linking violent video games and increased deviant behavior will likely generate more talk about the impact on children who play video games.

And most kids do play.

According to Pew Research:

Video gaming is pervasive in the lives of American teens—young teens and older teens, girls and boys, and teens from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Opportunities for gaming are everywhere, and teens are playing video games frequently. When asked, half of all teens reported playing a video game “yesterday.” Those who play daily typically play for an hour or more.

Fully 99% of boys and 94% of girls play video games. Younger teen boys are the most likely to play games, followed by younger girls and older boys. Older girls are the least “enthusiastic” players of video games, though more than half of them play. Some 65% of daily gamers are male; 35% are female.

Children's Use of Mobile Phones: Comparison of Use in Five Countries

“65% of children aged 8 to 18 have access to a mobile handset. Across the five countries, 12 is the most common age for a child to first own a mobile phone. However, there are significant variations by country; for example, in India and Japan it is more common for children to first own a phone when they are 15 years old, whereas in Chile, 10 is the most common age.” The discussion about safety issues includes topics on overuse of cell phones and inappropriate sites. There is no mention in this report of potential physical and mental health risks.

Following is a description of the report and the part of the Executive Summary on safer mobile use and the impact of mobile phone use on children’s lives.  The report in full is available here: Full report – English (PDF).  Executive summaries are available in English and Spanish (links at end of article).

Children’s use of mobile phones – An international comparison 2012
Published in 2013 by the GSM Association and the Mobile Society Research Institute within NTT DOCOMO Inc, Japan, in association with various telecoms operators, 13 May 2013

Children in a mobile world

Children around the globe are increasingly passionate users of mobile technology. Demonstrating a receptivity and enthusiasm that far exceeds those of their parents and teachers; they are embracing the opportunities provided by mobile phones in ways that could not have been predicted a decade ago.

Carl Sagan on Science and Technology

And here is what Carl Sagan says about the media in the United States.
(Ref. Media Matters for America)

A Science Icon Died 17 Years Ago. In His Last Interview, He Made A Warning That Gives Me Goosebumps.

by Rajiv Narayan, upworthy.com

Carl Sagan inspired a generation of scientists with his work in and out of the classroom. But he didn't always present science with cheer. In this clip, he passionately defends science with a grave warning. It's something we all need to hear.

Extract from an Interview with Charlie Rose, 27 May 1996  (text transcribed by the editor of this blog)

Sagan: …We live in an age based on science and technology with formidable technological powers.

Rose: Science and technology are propelling us forward at accelerating rates.

Sagan: That’s right, and if we don’t understand it, by “we” I mean the general public - “ if it’s something I’m not good at, I don’t know anything about” – then, who’s making all the decisions about science and technology that are going to determine what kind of future our children live in? Just some members of Congress? But there is no more than a handful of members of Congress with any background in science at all and the Republican Congress has just abolished its own office of technology assessment, the organization that gave them bipartisan competent advice on science and technology. “We don’t want to know. Don’t tell us about science and technology.”

Teach Your Children Well

Necrophilia vs. Biophilia

Wellness Uncovered Health Forum

World Economic Forum 2013 : Global Risks : "the X Factor" of the "Costs of Living Longer"

The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, will begin tomorrow,
23 January 2013. The last section of a Forum report, "Global Risks 2013" considers five “X factors” beyond high-risk concerns of the moment which could present serious future risks - or opportunities : runaway climate change, significant cognitive enhancement, rogue deployment of geoengineering, costs of living longer, and discovery of alien life. The Report makes interesting reading and is available here. See also the cover page of the World Economic Forum site which offers a short video on global risks. 

Following is the section on “costs of living longer”. Perhaps I am paranoid, but reading the description and assessment of these risks makes me wonder whether discussion of these issues will lead to a human-centered approach to dealing with these risks (current and future) or a harsher reaction which would include ways to cut down on health care costs, as we see happening in the United Kingdom.  The rogue geo-engineering risk, which will be posted later, is disturbing because events seem to be moving in this direction. Several years ago, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation requested patents on methods to control hurricanes, which would offer 18 years of legal rights to the idea for Bill Gates and co-inventors. This sounds very much like placing weather control into the hands of a few private individuals, as the report says, “a well funded individual with good intentions who may take matters into their own hands.”

Costs of Living Longer – extract from “Global Risks 2013”

We are getting better at keeping people alive for longer. Are we setting up a future society struggling to cope with a mass of arthritic, demented and, above all, expensive, elderly who are in need of long term care and palliative solutions?

News from Geneva: Dead in a Studio and Forgotten for 28 Months

Michel Christen enjoying his family

A social crime ? Yesterday evening, RTS1 (Radio télévision suisse romande) showed a documentary revealing new details about the death of Michel Christen. On 12 May 2005, this 53-year-old man, reduce to a skeleton, was discovered 28 months after his death, in his studio in the center of the city of Geneva. His ex-wife and daughter live in the same city. “The forgotten dead” are not so rare. The Press Officer of the Vaudois cantonal police, Jean-Christophe Sauterel, says, “We discover one a month on average persons in their homes several days or several weeks after their death”. It is not possible to find the original article by Thierry Mertenat, reporting on this tragic incident, which appeared in the Tribune de Genève on 6 June 2005. The documentary in French is available for viewing on the RTS1 site until 23 January 2013. 

This is perhaps an indication of the passivity of Geneva : its inhabitants, its social services … This is one major reason why advocates can barely make a dent in awareness regarding vital issues concerning society, health, and the environment. Nor does one advocacy group join forces with another to enhance power. In the case of Mr. Christen, administrative services were slow to react and did not co-ordinate with one another. Although he had been treated at the cantonal hospital (HUG) for a serious illness, no one ever enquired when he failed to show for a follow-up appointment. The post piled up in his mailbox, social services continued to pay his allowances, then cut them off, enquiries were made to neighbors, the bad smell coming from the flat in the days following his death was attributed to a dead rat. His café “friends” never considered he might have died … people said he was in hospital, away. And where were his ex-wife and daughter who also lived in the same city? People commented that Mr. Christen “wanted to erase his life”. I don’t think so. Such a desire is also a call for help. A lady committed suicide in the flat next to mine in Geneva. A social service worker discovered her body, perhaps a day or two later. We live in a very cold society in the city of Geneva. We are all guilty of allowing this tragic incident to happen.

Ojibway Prayer

Grandfather,
Look at our brokenness.
We know that in all creation
Only the human family
Has strayed from the Sacred Way.
We know that we are the ones
Who are divided
And we are the ones
Who must come back together
To walk the Sacred Way.

Grandfather, Sacred One,
Teach us love, compassion and honor
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.

A Native American Prayer

Mohawk Prayer

Oh Great Spirit, Creator of all things;
Human Beings, trees, grass, berries.
Help us, be kind to us.
Let us be happy on earth.
Let us lead our children
To a good life and old age.
These our people; give them good minds
To love one another.

Oh Great Spirit,
Be kind to us
Give these people the favor
To see green trees,
Green grass, flowers, and berries
This next spring;
So we all meet again
Oh Great Spirit,

We ask of you.

The Toxic Effect of VTech Tablets on Factory Workers and the Development of Young Children

Last night, I received the following message from a young boy in the Philippines:

"IT seems parents are the one who are killing us kids because we are being addicted to playing angry birds, fruit ninja, etc. Now please, STOP buying tablets for us!!! i'm david brendia of philippines age 8."

And from a parent:

"We parents should be the first to protect our children's welfare & future but it seems we are the one destroying them. save our children, ban all tabs!"

I am extremely grateful to these persons for speaking up.

After a Facebook contact called the VTech Inno Tab 2 tablet a piece of “carcinogenic technojunk”, I decided to research this gadget that will be placed under many Christmas trees this season. Wading through dozens of references on Google, I could find no information on the composition of these products, just a vague mention of plastic and rubber. Almost all sites promoted the positive features of these tablets, inciting parents to buy them for their kids. At $80 per gadget, this means big bucks for Vtech and retailers. French-speaking Switzerland’s most popular consumer magazine, “Bon à Savoir” (391,000 readers) promotes the Vtech tablet as a popular Christmas gift for children, comparing only prices in various stores, with no mention of its “toxic” effects on factory workers producing these gadgets, or on the development of young children.

Decline in French Sperm Count Should Be Considered Global Warning

A study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, revealing a significant decline in sperm concentration among French men should be considered a health warning, and could be linked to environmental factors, say its authors. Regarding environmental factors, an article in the Tribune de Genève about the study stated: “Studies have mentioned a correlation with smoking, the consumption of saturated fats or even the use of Wi-Fi!” Perhaps Geneva is waking up!  Read the next post.

Decline in French sperm count should be considered global warning 

by Liat Clark, wired.co.uk, 5 December 2012

A study revealing a significant decline in sperm concentration among French men should be considered a health warning, and could be linked to environmental factors, say its authors.

The paper, published in the journal Human Reproduction, calculated the results after comparing 26,600 samples from France's national register on in vitro fertilisation. The samples, derived from 126 assisted reproduction technology (ART) centres in France, covered the period 1989 to 2005 and were all from men whose partners had chosen in vitro because their fallopian tubes were blocked or missing -- the man's sperm was not considered an issue in any of these cases. This latter point is important because many male fertility studies have, over the years, solely analysed men with pre-existing fertility problems; this study should therefore be a truer representation of the wider population.