AI Insights

Children under-14 advised against smartphones

Published

15 hours ago

July 8, 2025

The Editors

Will Fyfe

BBC News

Reporting fromMonmouthshire

‘One of my friends had a smartphone when they were three or four’

Parents of thousands of children have been asked not to give them a smartphone until at least 14-years-old amid fears some were using devices for eight hours a day

Many schools have already banned smartphones on site but one part of the UK thinks it will be the first to have a countywide policy advising parents against giving children smartphones at home.

Using mobiles is already banned in schools in Monmouthshire, south Wales, but due to a rise in cyber-bullying reports and fears phone use at home is affecting schoolwork, schools are going a step further.

“We’ve got reports of students who are online at two, three, four in the morning,” said headteacher Hugo Hutchinson.

“We get a lot of wellbeing issues, as do all schools, that come from social media activity online over the weekend, or when they should be asleep,” added the head of Monmouth Comprehensive.

Mr Hutchinson said schools had worked on “robust” phone policies but pointed out ultimately children’s time was largely spent outside of school, where many still had unrestricted access to smartphones.

While teachers in Monmouthshire acknowledge they can’t force parents not to give smartphones to their under-14 children, schools have taken a “big step” to give advice about what parent should do in their own home.

Schools in some areas of the UK have already asked parents not to get their under-14s smartphones – like in St Albans, Belfast and Solihull in the West Midlands.

‘I was worried my son would feel left out’

But Monmouthshire believe they’re the first county in the UK where all secondary and primary teachers in both state and private schools are advising against smartphones for more than 9,000 children under the age of 14.

One of those parents being advised not to give their children a smartphone is Emma who said she felt like “the worst parent in the world” after continuously telling her 12-year-old son Monty he wasn’t allowed one.

“He was feeling left out,” she said.

A woman in a purple dress with short grey hair stands over the kitchen counter and places her smartphone into an old sweet tin. Stood next to her is her husband, wearing a blue t-shirt. He also places his own smartphone into the tin. — Emma and her husband Kev have been attempting to lock their own phones away to support their children

“He would be sitting on the school bus without a phone and everybody else would be doing the journey with a phone. He found that quite difficult. I think for boys it’s more about games on the phone.”

The mum-of-three is worried what her son could be exposed to online and how “addictive” devices were but offered Monty a “brick phone” – a term to describe older models that can’t connect to the internet and is only capable of calls and texts.

As the thought of giving Monty a smartphone when he reached secondary school had become one of her “biggest fears”, she and other parents said they were relieved schools are taking ownership.

Monty has just turned 12-years-old, but doesn’t yet have his own smartphone so sometimes plays games on his mum’s phone

A schoolboy with floppy black hair sits on the sofa in his blue school shirt and tie. He is looking into the camera and holding a smartphone out in front of him. — Monty has just turned 12-years-old, but doesn’t yet have his own smartphone so sometimes plays games on his mum’s phone

Schools hope the intervention of teachers would help those parents that were worried saying no to a smartphone would mean their child was “left out”.

But other some argued their children had been using smartphones without any problems.

Nicholas Dorkings’ son, who is moving up to secondary school in September, had his own smartphone when he was eight-years-old.

“He’s always sort of been on one,” he said.

Nicholas Dorkings said his son had been using a smartphone since he was eight-years-old

A man with short brown hair and blue eyes looks straight into the camera. He is wearing a navy blue t-shirt and has a metal chain around his neck. Behind him sit other families with school children. — Nicholas Dorkings said his son had been using a smartphone since he was eight-years-old

“It’s like a calming thing, or [something to use] out of boredom. He’s not on it that much, he’s more of a TV boy. He doesn’t pull it out his pocket every five minutes, he can put it down and just leave it.”

Nicholas said he could understand why schools wanted to get involved, but he believed smartphones had become essential to how young people communicate.

Eleven-year-old Lili’s primary school class is one of the first to be targeted by the new policy, after teachers wrote to their parents urging them to consider “brick phones” – if they felt their child needed something for travelling to school.

‘Most kids around here have smartphones’

Lili said she felt “14 to 15” was about the right age for children to get their first smartphone as by then they might stand a better chance of knowing if something they read online “wasn’t true”.

“We found out that one in four children have been cyber-bullied within our school, which is really strange,” said the year six pupil.

Lili thinks many school children are being given smartphones too young

An 11-year-old girl in green school uniform looks into the camera. She wars large, blue rimmed glasses and has shoulder length light brown hair. — Lili thinks many school children are being given smartphones too young

“It shouldn’t be right, there shouldn’t be the chance for people to be cyber-bullied, because we’re really young.”

Lili’s classmate Morgan said she had got a smartphone but had decided to stop using it after learning more about them in school.

“Most kids around here have smartphones,” said the 11-year-old.

Morgan said she was trying not to use her smartphone much

An 11-year-old girl with long brown hair and blue eyes smiles at the camera. Behind her a classroom whiteboard hangs on the wall. — Morgan said she was trying not to use her smartphone much

“They are just 100% always on it. When kids come over to play at some households they just go on their smartphones and just text.”

“I used to go on it to just scroll but I got bored – but then I’d also get bored not being on my smartphone. I just decided to stop scrolling to read a book or the trampoline.”

Are mobile phones being banned in UK schools?

Schools in Northern Ireland are advised to restrict pupils from using phones, in Scotland teachers are backed to introduce phone bans while in Wales, headteachers have been told smartphones shouldn’t be banned “outright”.

In England, the children’s commissioner has said banning phones should be a decision for head teachers but insisted parents had “the real power” to alter how their children used phones with more time spent on them outside of school.

So now every parent of all of Monmouthshire’s state and private schools will be told about the county’s new smartphone over the coming months.

‘People have an addiction to smartphones’

“This is not a school issue. This is a whole community and society issue,” added Mr Hutchinson, whose comprehensive school in Monmouth has 1,700 pupils.

“Like all schools, we are experiencing much higher levels of mental health issues as a result. Addiction to smartphones, addiction to being online.

“We have students who on average are spending six, seven, eight hours a day online outside school. We’ve got reports of students who are online at two, three, four in the morning.

“So the impact on their school day, the impact on their learning and the impact on their life chances is really fundamental.”

Hugo Hutchinson said he felt many parents were “grateful” school were stepping in

A man with short brown hair sits at a desk in and office. He wears a dark navy suit and pink tie. — Hugo Hutchinson said he felt many parents were “grateful” school were stepping in

In a token of solidarity to their son Monty and to encourage their two younger daughters, Emma Manchand and her husband Kev offered give up their own smartphones.

“We do 24-hours without the phone, which has been quite a challenging,” she said.

“Sometimes we might slightly fail. But the first time I did it, although I was nervous, I felt like I’d had a little mini break.

“The kids love it as well, because of course they get to be the ones telling us to put our phones down.”

Source link

AI Insights

Podcast: Training artificial intelligence – National Science Foundation (.gov)

Published

1 hour ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

Podcast: Training artificial intelligence National Science Foundation (.gov)

Source link

AI Insights

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market

Published

1 hour ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

The newly published report titled “Global Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market- By Trends, Industry Competition/Company Profiles Analysis, Revenue (US$ Billions) and Forecast Till 2034.” features in-depth analysis and an extensive study on the market, exploring its significant factors.

According to the latest market intelligence research report by InsightAce Analytic, the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Beauty and Cosmetics Market Size is valued at USD 4.43 Billion in 2024 and is predicted to reach USD 27.65 Billion by the year 2034 at a 20.2% CAGR during the forecast period for 2025-2034.

Request For Free Sample Pages :

https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/1051

In recent years, the beauty and cosmetics industry has experienced a transformative shift with the growing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. As a highly personalized and data-rich sector, the beauty market is ideally positioned to benefit from AI-driven innovation. These advancements enable brands to make informed, data-backed decisions and adapt strategies to stay competitive in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.

Over the past decade, the industry has undergone significant change, driven by technological innovation and a marked evolution in consumer shopping behavior. As part of a broader digital transformation, leading beauty brands have adopted AI tools to offer personalized skincare solutions and customized beauty products, meeting the specific needs of individual consumers.

Enquiry Before Buying:

https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/1051

Competitive Analysis:

There has been an influx of Beauty Tech implementations on the global market with the rapid expansion of the beauty and cosmetic industry. Key companies are constantly testing and launching new features with key strategic partners with innovative services, covering the market’s demands. Their focus on serving their clients’ needs, both brands and end-consumers, and the constant technological development are the key factors in boosting market growth. Companies like L’Oréal, and PROVEN, among others, have already recognized such potential and are applying A.I. in different ways. For instance, L’Oréal is implementing A.I. strategies on their business. Followed L’Oréal, by PROVEN has the largest skincare database and, with the input from the consumer, matches their data, creating unique and customized products using A.I. mechanisms.

The prominent players in the Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics

industry include:

Beiersdorf (NIVEA SKiN GUiDE), L’Oréal’s (Modiface, Hair Coach), Olay (Skin Care App), CRIXlabs (DBA Quantified Skin), Shiseido (Optune System), Procter & Gamble (Opte Wand), My Beauty Matches, Yours Skincare, EpigenCare Inc., mySkin, Haut.AI, Luna Fofo, Revieve, ANOKAI. CA., Pure & Mine, Youth Laboratories, Spruce Beauty, Nioxin, New Kinpo Group, Perfect Corp, Symrise (Philyra), Sephora USA, Inc. (Virtual Artist), Function of Beauty LLC, Estée Lauder, Coty Inc. (Rimmel), Givaudan, Beautystack and Polyfins Technology Inc and Other Prominent Players.

Key Industry Developments from Leading Players:

• In Dec 2021, Nykaa introduced L’Oréal’s advanced, Al-powered virtual try-on technology, ModiFace. Through the launch of this new technology, Company is expected to create an enhanced beauty experience for makeup enthusiasts while buying beauty products online. ModiFace technology allows photo-realistic results and AI-enabled shade calibration. The ModiFace Technology enables virtual try-on on Nykaa’s website and mobile app, helping shoppers purchase their desired beauty products across categories, starting with the L’Oréal range of products.

• In Oct 2021, PROVEN Skincare launched of $60 Billion Regulation A+ Offering. The funds are used to invest in Company’s further A.I. innovation and talent, expand domestic and global marketing strategies for its existing product line, and invest in further research and development of new product lines and categories

• In Sept 2021, Coty, Inc. announced a multi-channel partnership agreement with Perfect Corp. Through this partnership, Company plans to strengthen its offering in virtual try-ons, online skin diagnostics and data-driven personalization for brands including CoverGirl, Sally Hansen and philosophy, among others, as well as for Coty’s broad fragrance portfolio

• In June 2021, The technology division of L’Oréal, a longtime Google enterprise customer, subscribes to Google Cloud’s Vertex A.I. platform to speed up the production of its A.I. models for cosmetic services. Google’s Vertex platform enables customers to accelerate the development, deployment, and maintenance of machine learning models by unifying Google Cloud Services, machine learning systems, and machine learning operations (MLOps) under one user interface and API.

• In Jun 2021, LVMH and Google Cloud collaborated on cloud-based A.I. solutions to create new, personalized customer experiences that foster long-term growth. Through this collaboration, the Company is anticipated to augment demand forecasting and inventory optimization, support inclusive upskilling and certification programs for employees, and elevate customer experiences through personalization.

• In June 2021, Perfect Corp. announced an integration with Google for the launch of an A.R. interactive beauty try-ons. AR-powered virtual beauty try-on experiences can help online shoppers discover and experiment with various beauty products and shades online through Google search.

• In Dec 2020, Function of Beauty received a $150 Billion strategic minority investment from L Catterton. The funds used to speed up product development, support the Company’s continuous global expansion, and expand on the Company’s already industry-leading bespoke manufacturing capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Regional Analysis:

North America is expected to dominate the growth of A.I. in the beauty and cosmetic market due to the expansion of the beauty and cosmetic industry and prominent e-commerce companies like Amazon and Sephora. Asia Pacific region is expected to experience the fastest growth in the global A.I. in beauty and cosmetic market due to rapidly increasing consumer spending and expansion of the e-commerce sector across the region. In emerging countries like China, India, and Japan, the beauty e-commerce space is adapting to multiple models to enhance the e-commerce shopping experience for consumers.

Enquiry Before Buying:

https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/1051

The Global Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Segments

The Global Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates (Value US$ Billion) & Trend and Forecast Analysis, 2025 to 2034 based on Service/Product

• Personalized Recommendation Tools

• Performance Marketing Measurement Platforms

• Demand Forecasting and Supply Chain Tools

• Real-time Customer Service Platforms

• AI-based Beauty Devices

The Global Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates (Value US$ Billion) & Trend and Forecast Analysis, 2025 to 2034 based on Application

• Skincare

• Haircare

• Make-up

• Fragrances

• Others

The Global Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates (Value US$ Billion) & Trend and Forecast Analysis, 2025 to 2034 based on Region

• Europe

• North America

• Latin America

• Asia Pacific

• Middle East & Africa

North America Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates Revenue (US$ Billion) by Country, 2025 to 2034

• U.S.

• Canada

Europe Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates Revenue (US$ Billion) by Country, 2025 to 2034

• Germany

• France

• Italy

• Spain

• Russia

• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates Revenue (US$ Billion) by Country, 2025 to 2034

• India

• China

• Japan

• South Korea

• Australia & New Zealand

Latin America Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates Revenue (US$ Billion) by Country, 2025 to 2034

• Brazil

• Mexico

• Rest of Latin America

The Middle East & Africa Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in Beauty and Cosmetics Market Estimates Revenue (US$ Billion) by Country, 2025 to 2034

• GCC Countries

• South Africa

• Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Get More Information :

https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/report/global-artificial-intelligence-ai-in-beauty-and-cosmetics-market/1051

About Us:

InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain a competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets, and repositioning products. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with an in-depth analysis with key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner.https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/images_data/148861653.JPG

Contact Us:

info@insightaceanalytic.com

InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd.

Visit: www.insightaceanalytic.com

Tel : +1 607 400-7072

Asia: +91 79 72967118

Follow Us on LinkedIn @ bit.ly/2tBXsgS

Follow Us On Facebook @ bit.ly/2H9jnDZ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Insightace

This release was published on openPR.

Source link

AI Insights

AI is eating up Pennsylvania’s power, governor threatens to pull state from the grid — new plants aren’t being built fast enough to keep up with demand

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

Artificial intelligence and the hardware that powers it, is at the heart of a fallout in Pennsylvania, where electricity prices have risen dramatically for wholesalers and consumers due to surging demand. The governor is now threatening to abandon the state’s grid energy provider, PJM Interconnection, via Reuters. He’s demanding that PJM increase energy capacity through the acceleration of new energy plant construction and approval.

Following the launch of ChatGPT in 2023 and the explosion of competitor tools and chatbots in the months that followed, the regional transmission organization, PJM, saw a surge in demand for power as major tech companies scoured the country looking for spare grid capacity to run AI and build new data centers to support them. AI can demand a lot of power, so much so that Elon Musk is shipping an entire power plant to the US.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, as in 2022, PJM had paused new power plant connections after it faced a huge influx of applications for new renewable projects, which required more engineering oversight before they could be connected to the grid. Although PJM claims that this hasn’t led to a shortfall in supply, it has meant the grid hasn’t expanded like it was expected to. Local opposition to the construction of some of the plants that have been approved has further compounded the issue.

PJM’s power management covers 13 states in total, including Virginia, which plays host to the so-called “Data Center Alley,” a small region with the highest density of data centers in the world. It’s the huge demand from that region and elsewhere in its coverage that PJM blames on its inability to supply power at affordable rates.

Last year’s annual capacity auction for energy capacity saw prices increase by over 800%, and with an impending auction for this year, those prices are expected to rise again. It’s lead to a projected 20% rise in consumer energy prices across Pennsylvania and other PJM-covered territories this summer.

Legislators aren’t happy.

“We need speed from PJM, we need transparency from PJM and we need to keep consumer costs down with PJM,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told Reuters. “I think they’ve taken some steps in that direction which is really encouraging to me and we’re going to continue to work at it.”

PJM’s response to the crisis has been to cap energy prices at $325 per megawatt-day, and it has fast-tracked connections of more than 50 power projects that should help augment its existing capacity, but many of those won’t come online until the early 2030s.

Despite these aims, PJM estimates that the demand issue may only worsen. By 2030, it expects to require an additional 32 gigawatts of power capacity to meet growing demand, with over 30 of these allocated to new data center projects.

In the near term, with concerns about blackouts, the Trump administration has also ordered two oil and gas plants that were planned to close in May, to remain open through the summer.

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.

Source link