On Feb. 10, 2026, an 18-year-old woman, Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed eight people and herself in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. OpenAI had previously flagged her ChatGPT conversations as having a disturbing fascination with extreme violence, and suspended her account, but reportedly the company did not notify law enforcement. On Oct. 2, 2025, a young man […] … learn more→

In an ordinary conversation today, it’s not hard to sense when someone stops listening. Their attention shifts, their response comes too quickly, or their gaze drifts to a nearby screen. The exchange continues, but something essential has already been lost. We express ourselves, more than ever, through platforms, devices, and digital spaces. But are we […] … learn more→

In a landmark decision, a Los Angeles jury has found that social media company Meta and video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with addictive design features that led to mental health distress, including body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts. Commentators have referred to this as social media’s “Big Tobacco” moment and further lawsuits are pending. The verdict has escalated calls […] … learn more→

College students in the humanities and social sciences are constantly learning about the world’s biggest problems — from inequality, wars, forced displacement, hunger and famine, discrimination and climate change to unjust policies and laws. While this knowledge helps them see the world in new ways, it can also be overwhelming. Many students end up feeling […] … learn more→

“But what were you thinking? How could you not have considered the consequences this would bring?” These are phrases that have probably been uttered more than once in any home where teenagers live. Beyond the ability of the adults (parents, relatives, teachers) who surround us at this stage of life to educate us, when we […] … learn more→

In 2024, “ brainrot ” was chosen as the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year. The term highlights the mental deterioration caused by excessive consumption of trivial and low-quality digital content. This year, 2025 , three prestigious linguistic authorities—Dictionary.com , the Cambridge Dictionary , and the Oxford English Dictionary —suggest a shift to a more active and complex phase. Digital “slang” points to […] … learn more→

Reducing the visibility of polarizing content in social media news feeds can tangibly decrease partisan hostility. To reach this conclusion, my colleagues and I developed a method for modifying the ranking of posts in news feeds , an operation previously limited to social media platforms. The readjustment of feeds to limit exposure to posts expressing anti-democratic attitudes […] … learn more→

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→

Continuous notifications, urgent headlines, chained short videos, streaming series , personalized ads, after-hours work emails… Today, our brain is no longer a serene and orderly space, but a constant battlefield where hundreds of actors fiercely compete to win our attention. The economist and Nobel laureate Herbert Simon already warned in the 1970s of a paradox that is central today: […] … learn more→

The Victorian government has announced it will send social workers to 20 of the state’s schools to try to reduce violent youth crime. It will spend A$5.6 million on “targeted” schools next year. The aim is to “intervene early in the lives of children who are heading down the wrong path […] drifting towards violence, crime and […] … learn more→