Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Kids phones now legally banned in schools.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cq61z67lq9lo

^^ just a silly video, the 'more on this story' link takes you back to April :rolleyes:

Anyway, if kids are found with their phones what are the teachers gonna do?

Confiscate the phone?
Send the kid home?
Give them detention?
Fine the parents?

Monday could be fun. :D

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

they're legally banned in prisons but the places are full of them, once they start searching kids the legal nightmare will begin

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Schools want all the technology for education then doesn't want it .. confused

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Anyone else remember when calculators couldn't be used in exams . . . and you had to show all your working out to get the answer?

:D

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

We were allowed to use them in O level maths, but one question had to show the full workings out as it said you couldn't use a calculator for it.

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Long time ago, but as I recall, we could use them, but still had to show all working out, they just made the number crunching easier.

I had a new one bought for me the following year, for college. I still have it, still running on its original Casio batteries, about 47 years old now.

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

I still have an old Texas Instruments TI30 scientific, it still works after all these years.

Imagine that, buying an electrical instrument that still works long after the guarantee has expired :D

https://www.picclickimg.com/6GEAAeSw...alculator.webp

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

80085

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

The best one was 55378008 and the story which led up to it


Epic year 4 banter

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Can anyone remember the formula for where you go through a number of oil price calculations with someone using a calculator and, right at the end, they are asked what the name of the oil company was.

As they looked completely flummoxed, the display was turned upside down to reveal 'Shell Oil' :D

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

I believe there are a couple of variants of it but one version is:

"If 142 Israelis and 154 Arabs are fighting over 69 acres of land for 5 days, who won?" To get the answer, you multiply 14215469 by 5, so that 71077345 appears, turn the calculator upside down, and on 7-segment displays it appears as "ShEll OIl".

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

pen and paper at my school,and show working out or you got the red pen treatment

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

and with that, can we get back to the topic. :)

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Well for those who thought the Online Safety Act was purely about the kid's, this now proves it is about control!

Restricting the information you can see and only allowing access to what the government say is "Acceptable"

https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/keep-youtube-yours

The Government want YouTube and other News Sites to restrict and limit/block access to news and information that does not come either from the Mainstream Media as in the places who refuse to acknowledge the real world, and also the Government as a source!

And just in case the link get's blocked, or YouTube remove it and send it out via a different link, this is the text from the page.

"Keep YouTube Yours
Your Channel, Your Say
YouTube is yours because you built it — view by view, subscriber by subscriber, on the merit of your ideas and your connection with your audience. However, proposed new rules could fundamentally change how your content is discovered, recommended, and viewed in the UK.


The UK Government is running a public consultation called "Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media". The proposals include mandatory changes to how content is discovered on YouTube. This could direct audiences away from your channel.


As a UK creator, this directly impacts your future. Digital content discovery works best when driven by user choice, not legal requirements. This is a vital window for you to share your perspective before the consultation closes on 31 August 2026.


Impact of the Proposed Rules
The proposed new rules include a mandatory "prominence regime". This could require digital platforms like YouTube to prioritise and give a "privileged position" to traditional broadcasters (like the BBC, ITV and Channel 4) in user interfaces and recommendation feeds, potentially pushing your content out of sight.

Mandating prominence to traditional institutions will impact all other independent digital creators, production companies and media cos, including through:

Your content downranked: Pushing this group forward means pushing everyone else downward. Mandatory prioritisation of broadcasters would affect how your content reaches your audience, regardless of what your audience actually wants to see.
Reducing user exposure to diverse content & independent creators: Mandating prominence for established media networks would push the UK's diverse mix of independent journalists, educators, and digital-first businesses down the line.
Threat to reach and channel growth: Your ability to organically grow your community, generate views and revenue, and build a sustainable business is compromised if your content is hard to be discovered.
Undermining the creator-audience bond: The consultation repeatedly emphasises "trust" in the context of legacy broadcasters, implying that digital-first voices are less credible, damaging the foundational trust that sustains the creator economy.


How to Get Involved
The UK Government is seeking feedback from those affected by this upcoming legislation to help determine how online content should be regulated.

Help protect the level playing field that you and all independent creators rely on by responding today.


STEPS TO TAKE:

1. Review the Proposals: Read the full breakdown of the UK Government's strategic framework for online media here: Read the Full Green Paper

2. Access the Response Form: Submit feedback directly via the UK Government’s consultation website here: Official UK Gov Response Form. Click on section 4; news creator may also want to click on section 2.



Useful information to share
Give insights into how recommendations help you to find, connect with and build your audiences, and how being recommended less could disadvantage your channel.
Share your thoughts on how such changes could disrupt the discovery of your work and your audience's experience.
Tell your story. You work hard to build your channel in an ecosystem where success is determined by content quality and audience preferences, not regulatory mandates.

Sections Relevant to You
For all creators, please read:

Chapter 4.1 (Prominence of PSM content in the platform age): Explores introducing state-mandated prominence for UK Public Service Broadcasting content above all other content and asking if this should also apply to general entertainment, comedy, drama, and sports.
Question 24: Specifically asks you how proposed interventions might disrupt your business model.
If you are a news creator, please read:

Chapter 2.2 (Prominence of news on social media): Proposals to mandate prioritisation of UK Public Service Broadcasting news content and government or regulator defined ‘trusted news’ providers.



Deadline for responses: 31 August 2026"

https://www.gov.uk/government/consul...c-consultation

https://dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/fo...fQ7ExcypoLCKZE

Re: Online Safety Bill Etc
 

Seems everyone now wants to put limits and controls on what we see, read, and eventually hear.

I'm now humming the Jam track 'going underground', which is probably where a lot of 'restricted' content will end up ;)