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UK watchdogs urged to tackle suicide social media content after death of girl, 14

Adriana Retyte took her own life after viewing β€˜high-risk’ material on the video-sharing platform TikTok

A 14-year-old schoolgirl’s death after TikTok served her suicide content has prompted renewed calls for UK watchdogs to crack down on β€œtoxic” social media feeds.

Adriana Retyte, a pupil at Langley school in Norfolk, took her own life after she viewed videos and images related to suicide on the video-sharing platform, according to a coroner who last week found her access to the material on TikTok β€œmay have played a significant part in her decision to take her life”.

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Β© Photograph: The Good Brigade/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: The Good Brigade/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: The Good Brigade/Getty Images

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Googlebook review: Google’s new laptops are woefully underbaked

Great hardware let down by software flaws on these pricey machines that combine ChromeOS with Android

Google’s attempt to create a new type of laptop to compete with Windows and macOS machines is finally here, combining the best of ChromeOS and Android into the new Googlebook. With advanced links to Android phones and the best of Google built in, can these Googlebooks really compete with a MacBook Air or Surface Laptop? I took two for a spin to find out.

For years, Chromebooks have been the boss of budget laptops, but Googlebooks take a different, far more premium approach. Made by a range of traditional PC makers, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo, they start at Β£999 (€1,099/$899/A$2,299) – a far cry from the Β£160 Chromebooks.

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Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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Calls to strengthen workplace privacy in Australia as employers turn to AI to track staff

Monitoring tools common in a range of workplaces, including factories, office jobs, delivery work and in retail – often without employees being informed

Employers are increasingly using technology, from CCTV to keystroke monitoring, to track workers’ moves and it is being accelerated by the use of AI, the Human Technology Institute has warned.

Examples provided to Guardian Australia by the institute include a fast-food restaurant using surveillance cameras to stop workers using their phones, and AI tracking leading to a cashier warned over making a mistake once every 533 scans.

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Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Β© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Apple AirPods 5 review: the best open-fit earbuds yet

Upgraded, cheaper AirPods have noise cancelling, sound and controls to rival many plugged-in buds but without tips

Apple’s latest AirPods set a new standard for open-fit buds with upgraded noise cancelling that now rivals many plugged-in designs of the same price.

The AirPods 5 have the same design the popular AirPods 4 offering an option for those that do not like silicone ear tips used by most noise cancelling earbuds. They come in two versions, with or without a wireless charging case and swipe controls, costing from Β£119 (€149/$129/A$219) – Β£10 cheaper than the launch price of their predecessors.

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC, H2 chip

Battery life: four or five hours with ANC (22 hours with case)

Water resistance: IP57 (up to 1 metre for 30 minutes)

Earbud dimensions: 30.2 x 18.3 x 18.1mm

Earbud weight: 4.3g each

Charging case dimensions: 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2mm

Charging case weight: 32.3g/34.7g

Case charging: USB-C or wireless (Qi or Watch)

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Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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iPhone 18 Pro Max review: Apple’s biggest, heaviest and longest-lasting superphone

A giant screen, big battery, rapid chip and top cameras push the great iPhone 18 Pro to the max with a price tag to match

Apple’s largest Pro iPhone gets its biggest battery upgrade yet to make it a true two-day phone with new Siri AI and a variable aperture camera.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is the supersized sibling of the regular 18 Pro and, though it is no longer Apple’s most expensive phone thanks to the Β£2,000 iPhone Duo, it has a similarly large price tag to match costing from Β£1,299 (€1,599/$1,299/A$2,299).

Screen: 6.9in Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)

Processor: Apple A20 Pro

RAM: 12GB

Storage: 256, 512GB or 1TB

Operating system: iOS 27

Camera: 48MP + 48MP UW + 48MP 4x, 18MP front-facing

Connectivity: 5G, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6, Thread, USB-C, Satellite, UWB and GNSS

Water resistance: IP68 (6 metres for 30 mins)

Dimensions: 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm

Weight: 249g

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Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Β© Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

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