Tech Digest daily roundup: Parents urged to talk to young children about social media
Parents are being encouraged to talk to their children about social media at a young age after new research found girls are negatively affected earlier than boys. The new study, from experts at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, found that girls experience a negative link between social media use and life satisfaction when they are aged 11 to 13, while for boys this happens when they are older, at 14-15. Researchers said the differences may be down to changes in the structure of the brain, or due to puberty, which occurs later in boys than in girls. Yahoo!
A software company used by police across Britain to track down criminal suspects is scrambling to cut ties with a Russian intelligence firm amid security concerns. i2, which is used by investigators to gather data on criminal suspects, said it had rejected approaches from Social Links, a Moscow-founded firm that trawls the web for information on individuals. Authorities have warned about the risk of using Russian software in recent weeks, advising companies not to use antivirus tools made by Moscow-based Kaspersky. Telegraph
Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei said Monday its sales fell but profit rose 76% in 2021, despite U.S. sanctions. Huawei’s chief financial officer was released by Canadian authorities last year, ending a standoff with Washington over the tech giant’s dealings with Iran. The company is caught in the middle of tensions with Washington over technology and security. American officials say Huawei, the biggest maker of network gear for phone carriers, is a security risk that might enable Chinese spying, an accusation the company rejects. Independent
A global shortage of microchips is slowing the rollout of new electric vehicle chargers across the UK and delaying the repair of faulty units, industry insiders have told i. Earlier this week the Government said it wants the number of public chargers to increase tenfold by the end of the decade to serve the UK’s fast-growing EV fleet. But charge point operators are struggling to take delivery of enough charging units to meet their deployment targets. Covid-19 outbreaks strangled production of vital computer chips used in everything from electric vehicles to game consoles, sparking a global shortage exacerbated by surging demand and shortages of raw materials. i
Prominent reporter Greg Miller of Kinda Funny announced on Sunday that he would be delaying this week’s edition of his popular PlayStation podcast PS I Love You XOXO due to “three rumours I’ve heard” about impending announcements. “Man, looking like it might be a VERY interesting week for PlayStation if even one of the three rumors I’ve heard is true,” he wrote. “As such, we’re gonna delay recording PS I Love You XOXO until Thursday.” Miller’s post follows a Bloomberg report claiming that Sony could announce its Game Pass rival codenamed ‘Spartacus’ this week. VGC’s own sources corroborated this story and said that news was expected early this week. Video Games Chronicle
It’s no secret that EA and FIFA are ending their long partnership. Over the past few months, the former has made many outright statements against FIFA saying that it was holding the franchise back. EA licenses teams directly from the companies or owners that manage them, so it seems like only the name of the game will change. According to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, EA is rebranding FIFA to EA Sports Football Club. While the name sounds somewhat generic, it’s still clear as to what the game is. He said that he’s seen trademarks for EA Sports Football Club — EA Sports FC for short — on the Giant Bomb podcast. Neowin
