Will change to organ donor rules mean more transplants?
This week it has been revealed that ministers are proposing a ‘radical change’ by moving to a system of “presume consent”. The current organ donation system adopts an ‘opt-in’ approach but this proposed change could see that turn into an ‘opt-out’ approach. Wales currently uses this opt-out system, with Scotland planning to introduce a similar scheme. Northern Ireland has also ‘expressed an interest in doing likewise’. Currently in the UK, 6,500 people are waiting for an organ transplant. Every year 450 people on this list die due to lack of an organ transplant in time. It is to be expected that this change will help improve waiting times on organ transplant lists.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42282409
Peppa Pig’s GP visits copied by fans, says doctor
Dr Catherine Bell is a GP who often watches Peppa Pig with her toddler. She believes that “the pig family’s inappropriate use of the doctor are copied by their fans”. The GP portrayed in the animation series, Dr Brown Bear, provides care that is ‘unparalleled’ and ‘fuels unrealistic expectations’. With continued pressures on the NHS, unnecessary visits to local GP’s have been pushed into the spotlight to help remedy the pressure slightly. This is why Peppa Pig has been named by Dr Bell “Public enemy number one in the fight to reduce unnecessary GP visits”.
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42322216
YouTubers have made hundreds of thousands in advertising revenue each month by putting up disturbing videos of children that attract perverted sexual comments
It has been revealed this week that YouTube have been profiting from “inappropriate videos of children” with some of this content attracting “sexual comments from perverts”. It’s highlighted that the ‘Ted’ channel creator, who’s identity is still unclear, posted videos of his “Children handling a diaper covered in fake faeces, being ‘scared’ by clowns and mock-wrestling.” The extent of these ‘predatory accounts’ has been unveiled as volunteer moderators, last month, estimated that there could be as many as 100,000 accounts leaving “inappropriate comments on videos”. Since this news story has gained a media spotlight, YouTube, in just a few weeks, has removed adverts on more than two million videos and 50,000 channels.
Children as young as 11 are coaxed into gambling addictions through video game ‘skin betting’ websites, government report wans
The UK gambling commission warned this week that children as young as 11 are being “coaxed into gambling”. These new ‘skin betting’ sites allow players to gamble with virtual currency for modified weapons that are purely for aesthetic purposes only, in video games. The rarer virtual items can be sold online for real money, some worth as much as £1,000. This warning comes alongside the latest annual survey from the Commission which revealed that 370,000 children in total – “spent their own money on gambling in the past week”.
Google patents an AI ‘babysitter’ system capable of protecting unattended children by remotely locking doors and switching off plug sockets
This week Google have outlined a series of ‘devices and methods for protecting unattended children in the home’. These devices include sensors to alert parents if an infant has been left alone for more than 10 minutes, sensors to shut off plug sockets when a child gets close, and lock “digital doors’ to prevent escape. There are also lighting and audio warnings to help protect unattended children. Google has commented about the need for such a product stating that “There may be situations where children are left unattended within the home due to circumstances beyond a parent or guardian’s control”.
Tech firms could be held liable for extremism and abuse
This week an ethics body has stated that popular digital platforms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter “should be help liable for illegal and dangerous content on their platforms”. This has sparked a range of responses, with Prime Minister Theresa may threatening fines if these companies do not remove ‘extremist content quickly’, while on the other hand, one free speech advocate has stated that this enforcement could turn Facebook into a “national censor”.