Instagram release new time management, parental control and managing recommendations tools

  • Instagram have announced the expansion of its time management tools with new feature called “Quiet Mode”.
  • The aim of the new feature is to reduce users’ anxiety about taking time away from the app.
  • Quiet Mode will do this by setting your status to ‘In Quiet Mode’ to let your friends know you’re not presently active, muting incoming notifications and setting automatic replies to DMs. Teenage users will also be nudged to enable the feature if they are up late using the app.
  • The app is now giving parents who use their built-in parental control tools the ability to see the accounts their child has blocked.
  • Users will also now have better control on what shows up for them on the app’s Explore page.
  • Users will be able to hide multiple pieces of unwanted content from Explore at once. Also, if a user selects “Not Interested” on a post in Explore, the app will try to avoid showing this type of content in future in the app’s recommendations.
  • Finally, blocked words has been expanded and will apply to recommended posts across the app.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Tech Crunch website.

Most game developers say harassment from players is a ‘serious problem’

  • According to the State of the Game Industry survey, more than 75% of game creators who were polled, stated that harassment and toxic behaviour were a “serious” or “very serious” problem.
  • Around 40% of these stated that they had experienced harassments directly and this was highly prevalent among LGBTQ+ and non-male developers.
  • Over half of those polled say their companies have done something about it, with some companies taking legal action to send a strong message to fans that there are real-world consequences.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Dot Esports website.

Heads call for end to ‘blunt’ Ofsted ratings in inspections overhaul

  • Headteachers are calling for an overhaul of school inspection in England, including the ratings such as “good” or “requires improvement” which they have described as a “woefully blunt” measure of a school’s performance.
  • The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) say that the current system does not reflect the different circumstances in which schools operate.
  • The ASCL has outlined their proposals in a discussion paper, called The Future of Inspection, which highlights that Ofsted is losing trust of the profession.
  • It also highlights that the current grading system stigmatises schools which receive negative judgements.
  • For the full story, go to the Guardian’s website.

Children born after rape to be recognised as crime victims under ministry plans

  • Children born as a result of a rape will be officially recognised as victims of crime under Government plans, for England and Wales.
  • England and Wales are thought to be among some of the first countries in the world to extend the legal definition of victim to include those born from rape.
  • This comes from changes made to the forthcoming ‘Victim’s Bill’.
  • Research from the Centre for Women’s Justice estimated more than 3,000 children could have been born after rape in England and Wales in 2021.
  • To read more, visit the National’s website.