The digital revolution has become a vast, unplanned experiment – and children are its most exposed participants. As ADHD diagnoses rise around the world, a key question has emerged: could the growing use of digital devices be playing a role? To explore this, we studied more than 8,000 children, from when they were around ten until they […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Social media, not gaming, tied to rising attention problems in teens, new study finds
Does trivial content cause ‘brain rot’? The answer isn’t that simple.
● Research findings on the effects of brain rot are still inconsistent and their significance is questionable. ● Brain rot could be a reflection of changes in human thinking. ● The impact of social media on cognition and mental health tends to be small and unstable. Brain rot is a metaphor to describe the negative impact of consuming too much […] … learn more→
Writing about your Researcher positioning
So you know what researcher positioning is and why it matters. Now comes the practical question: how do you actually write about it in your thesis? This is where many doctoral researchers get a bit stuck. You know you need to address your positionality, but it can feel pretty darn awkward writing about yourself in what’s […] … learn more→
AI is perpetuating unrealistic body ideals, objectification and a lack of diversity — especially for athletes
What does it look like to have an “athletic body?” What does artificial intelligence think it looks like to have one? A recent study we conducted at the University of Toronto analyzed appearance-related traits of AI-generated images of male and female athletes and non-athletes. We found that we’re being fed exaggerated — and likely impossible — body standards. Even […] … learn more→
How the internet became enshittified – and how we might be able to deshittify it
Remember when Twitter used to be good? I reckon it peaked somewhere around the first COVID lockdowns. In those days, there was a running gag on the site where everyone would refer to it as a “hellscape”. And it did invite some of the worst that humanity has to offer. Opinions, as the old joke […] … learn more→
The dark side of video games: how chat rooms put children at risk
What do we look for when choosing a video game for our children, nephews, or grandchildren? Probably that it’s not violent, that it’s age-appropriate, and that it encourages creativity. However, we rarely stop to consider a key question: who can young children interact with while they play? Many video games allow direct communication with other […] … learn more→
When invisible robots influence our choices and opinions
Every time we click a star to rate a restaurant, leave a comment on a shopping site, or “like” a video, we leave a digital footprint. Individually, this may seem insignificant, a simple little sign of preference, a micro-opinion among many others. But collectively, these footprints form a vast social landscape, a cloud of visible […] … learn more→
Federal funding cuts are only one problem facing America’s colleges and universities
Higher education is under stress. The highest-profile threat has been the Trump administration’s efforts to cut funding to several universities, including Harvard, Columbia and Northwestern. Research universities heavily depend on federal money to conduct research and carry out other areas of work. For example, after tuition, federal money allocated for research made up 40% of the total revenue for two major […] … learn more→
Planning life after high school isn’t easy – 4 tips to help students and families navigate the process
Many high school seniors are now focusing on what they will do once they graduate – or how they don’t at all know what is to come. Families trying to guide and support these students at the juncture of a major life transition likely also feel nervous about the open-ended possibilities, from starting at a […] … learn more→
Flat Earth, spirits and conspiracy theories – experience can shape even extraordinary beliefs
On Feb. 22, 2020, “Mad” Mike Hughes towed a homemade rocket to the Mojave Desert and launched himself into the sky. His goal? To view the flatness of the Earth from space. This was his third attempt, and tragically it was fatal. Hughes crashed shortly after takeoff and died. Hughes’ nickname – Mad Mike – might […] … learn more→
