ACHES ‘Weekly Picks’ Substack
ACHES was set up to promote, enhance and protect human and environmental wellbeing. ACHES provides a forum to raise awareness and advance the truth about legal, medical and scientific information relating to current and emerging technologies. ACHES “Weekly Picks” will highlight the most relevant news pieces from our partners and collaborators to raise awareness of the health harms caused by such technologies, and also chronicle the much-needed solutions to enhance our health.
Bad Tech: Students being robbed of their childhood
In the Independent last week, an article caught our eye because it emphasised how the UK’s largest teaching union has raised concerns that “students are being robbed” of their wellbeing by social media. The union calls for the digital age of consent to be raised from 13 to 16 years of age. In a poll conducted of over 2000 participants, almost 70% said they felt social media companies are depriving children of their childhoods, with many under 16-year-olds suffering mental health problems, sleep disturbances, loss of concentration and social pressure. At ACHES, we have written about the health harms caused by modern technology and applaud the campaign by Big Tech’s Little Victims.
Lasting Mental Health Scars Linked to Smartphone Use
As an extension to the above story about harms to children caused by technology, this week, the Children’s Health Defense (CHD) chronicled the lasting mental health scars associated with the use of smartphones before the age of 13. The global study exposed how females were affected the most, and nearly half of children given a smartphone aged 5 or 6 had strong suicidal thoughts. The chilling reality of early smartphone use includes the increased risk of cyberbullying, harmful content exposure, poor family relationships and disrupted sleep. Reassuringly, delaying smartphone use and social media access significantly improves emotional resilience and mental health over the longer term. See here for the full article.
Hold the Date: Unplug to Uplift!
Earlier this week, Safe Tech International advertised their zoom webinar event titled “Unplug to Uplift” taking place on 1 November 2025, from 5 to 7pm in the UK (12 to 2pm US Eastern time). The event will cover social movements encouraging a Smart Phone Free Childhood and other concerns owing to technology, as well as potential solutions. Subjects will include surveillance, digital IDs, addition to technology, children’s health, social media harm, and much more. Registration is coming soon: we will update our readers of the speaker line up and thought leaders from around the world. For now, save the date!
What the Government Won’t Tell You
What do Smart Meters, energy security and Net Zero have in common? Look no further than the UK Government website on this latest consultation relating to Smart Meter Policy Framework that was recently posted. This particular consultation (closing date 3 October 2025) is aimed at energy suppliers to ‘improve’ Smart Meter rollout by the end of 2030. The installation of Smart Meters is to support the ‘Clean Power 2030 Mission’, which aims to have delivered Smart Meters to 74.5% of relevant domestic premises in Great Britain. Although the consultation is near the closing date and is expected to be of interest mainly to energy suppliers and installers, as well as other supply chain stakeholders, any organisation or individual is welcome to respond.
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