ALISTER: The PM has come out and said that smartphone bans in schools are unnecessary and it’s up to individual schools to decide. Most already have strict policies in place, so Labour’s stance makes sense. Headteachers can manage this without a blanket ban.

MERIDYTH: Smartphones in classrooms are a recipe for disaster — distraction, bullying, peer pressure… and even cheating. Studies show they harm grades and mental health. A Nokia or flip phone could easily solve any safety concerns parents might have.

ALISTER: Flip phones? Really? They’re not foolproof either, kids can still misuse them. They have no parental controls, no monitoring. Besides, smartphones are part of life now. Kids need to learn how to navigate tech responsibly with parents’ involvement, rather than be shielded from it.

MERIDYTH: Being tech savvy doesn’t require Snapchat do’s and don’t’s. An LSE report shows academic performance improves with smartphone restrictions. Students gained nearly a year’s worth of learning in maths and science after bans. It also showed that teaching digital literacy can come from school laptops and tablets instead.

ALISTER: But those bans were in specific contexts, not blanket policies. Labour’s approach allows flexibility for schools to tailor rules while fostering a balanced relationship with technology. Even growing up, my school had rules around phone usage. Push for innovation, not prohibition!

MERIDYTH: Innovation won’t fix the fact that smartphones are inherently disruptive. Until tech evolves, we need clear boundaries — not just wishful thinking.

ALISTER: How will my future kids know I’m the funny one, if I can’t send them memes while they’re in class? (Meridyth: 🙄)

🇬🇧 No squabble required

🧬 Delete your 23andMe data. The genetic testing company filed for bankruptcy. Coming off a major 2023 hacking scandal, there have been over 50 lawsuits - while the UK even fined them £4.6m. Why should you care? Because 23andMe just got approved to sell your genetic data. So get your data deleted ASAP!

➡️ “Make Britain Great Again.” Yes, like MAGA. These intentional words echoed across Reform UK’s rally in Birmingham on Friday, as Farage took a page from Trump’s book and announced a need for a British DOGE to cut costs. (As if Reeves’ cuts didn’t seem enough…)

⛪️ Forgiveness is next to Godliness. In his first interview since stepping down from the Church of England (2nd top job after the King or Queen), Justin Welby said he forgives the serial abuser, who cost him his job. Over 100 boys and young men over decades were sexually and physically abused while complaints went ignored - the most prolific abuse case associated with the CoE.

🐓 Please don’t affect the cost of eggs. Bird flu has been found in Durham and Cumbria. But what worries some is the recent spread to a sheep in Yorkshire (a first of its kind transmission). While there is potential of a pandemic, scientists still believe the risks are low for people.

💊 No more morning-after roulette. The NHS is making the morning-after pill free and available at all pharmacies across the UK. 🎉

🌎️ Elsewhere in the world

Good news - First off, Happy Eid Mubarak! Hopes for a ceasefire and negotiations resumed again in the Israel-Hamas War. Bad news - Trump double downed on his threats to control Greenland just prior to Vance’s unwanted visit, while downplaying the national security breach from a group Signal chat.

🇲🇲 Devastating 7.7 earthquake. In Myanmar, over 1,600 people have died and thousands injured, with the death toll continuing to rise. This is the first disaster to face the consequences of Trump’s dismantling of USAID. While the U.S. has pledged help, without the staff who have experience mobilising aid, Myanmar can only hope for something… anything from the Americans.

☢️ 72hr Survival Kit. The EU is advising members to prepare enough essentials for a 72hr crisis (think: food, water, etc). With Trump’s volatile global policies, Europe (incl the UK) has had to beef up its national defence. It’s not to say WWIII is coming, but nations have realised after Covid that our world can change in a blink of an eye. So better be prepared. (Will the UK issue similar advice? Might need to make a run to Costco.)

🍎 Part of your ‘5 A Day’

🍦 I’d like some Breast Milk Ice Cream, please. It’s due in 9 months — and the pun is apparently intentional — because breast milk has been trending??? One of the Kardashians even drinks it when under the weather, due to its health benefits. (What?!?) Don’t worry, the Frida’s ice cream just tastes like breast milk which is sweet, but isn’t made from it.

⛑️ Wrap it up! There’s been a rise in cases of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea. But don’t freak out, the numbers are in the low double digits. Still, those free morning-after pills won’t keep STIs at bay. So always best to keep things wrapped, if you know what I mean.

⏰ Clocks ruin Mother’s Day. With the start of daylight savings (hope you’ve figured out the oven and microwave), many faced a rough start yesterday - raising renewed calls to do away with the antiquated tradition. Due to circadian misalignment (aka your internal body clock), scientists say it’s similar to having jet lag.

🧦 The odd sock

🍆 That’s a massive… breach! Five niche dating apps (for sex positive and LGBTQ+ members) stored users’ images without password protection, making them easily available to even novice hackers. Not just profile pictures, but private chat photos and videos too… 😬

🐭 Woke and Disney. The new Snow White film’s lead actress, Rachel Zegler, is facing online backlash due to 1) not being white, 2) supporting Palestine, and 3) being anti-Trump. Can’t we just focus on the fact that the movie itself simply sucks?

🤬 Rants or Raves 🤩

by Alister

(So, Meridyth has banned me from talking about board games. Booo… Fine.)

As I’m a budding plant dad (see what I did there?), I’ve always been on the lookout for how to up my success in growing and keeping a plant with a nice flower or two.

Recently I’ve finally gotten around to ordering from Patch. I’m sure you’ve seen their adverts across Insta or Facebook. I’ve been slightly sceptical of their gentrified-chic style. But I’ve got to admit, it’s been a great experience so far.

I ordered a Boston Fern with a concrete style pot for the bathroom to add a pop of colour and life into an otherwise fairly dark room. The plant and pot choices were impressive with easy online ordering. But the big selling point was the how-to guide for picking the best plant for the space.

If all goes well (give it a few weeks), I can easily see me getting their starter kits and give a green life injection around our whole flat!

❤️ What do you meme? 

Youngest art critic

Trying something new is scary. It’s hard to put yourself out there, out of your comfort zone. Pahrnia decided to do just that by painting along a public hiking trail along a beautiful Australian landscape.

As she gets started, a young boy comes by and takes an interest. While kids can sometimes lack a filter and be brutally honest, this small boy only had encouraging words to share and quickly became an instant fan, who couldn’t get enough.

theidlebiro

31K followers

View more on Instagram

Way to be a great kid, Lynk! If only all art critics were this supportive…

Whew, you made it!

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Alister & Meridyth