According to Tech Digest, a report suggests over 800,000 UK children aged three to five are engaging with social media, with former minister Lord John Nash calling it “deeply alarming.” On TikTok, researchers found 354 AI-focused accounts pumping out 43,000 posts, including anti-immigrant and sexualized material, that garnered 4.5 billion views in a month. A BBC investigation found over 2,000 extremely abusive posts, including death threats, targeting Premier League figures in a single weekend. In security news, more than a hundred browser extensions on Chrome and Edge turned malicious after five years of normal operation, risking 4.3 million devices in a campaign dubbed “ShadyPanda.” Meanwhile, the trend of ever-larger cars, or “carspreading,” is facing pushback in cities like Paris. And at JLR, design boss Gerry McGovern, architect of the radical Jaguar Type 00 concept, has been axed.
Algorithms for Toddlers
Here’s the thing about that first story: it’s not really surprising, is it? We all know kids grab phones and tablets. But the scale—800,000 kids under five—and the explicit warning that they’re being fed algorithms designed for adults is a gut punch. It reframes the whole “screen time” debate. This isn’t just about watching a cartoon. It’s about a system built for engagement, for addiction, being let loose on brains that are literally still learning how to think. The platforms will say they have age limits and parental controls. But look, we all know how that goes. When the business model is attention, the youngest, most impressionable minds become the most valuable targets. It’s a bleak equation.
The AI Content Firehose
The TikTok AI story is the logical, terrifying extension of that attention economy. Why hire humans to make divisive, clicky content when AI can generate an infinite firehose of it for pennies? The report found accounts trying to “game” the algorithm by posting massive volumes, hoping something sticks and goes viral. And with 4.5 billion views, something clearly is sticking. This creates a perfect storm: low-cost, high-volume production of the most emotionally charged material, optimized purely for virality with zero regard for truth or decency. It completely pollutes the information environment. Basically, it automates propaganda and outrage. How can any human-curated feed, or any user’s common sense, possibly compete with that?
The Five-Year Browser Con
Now, the “ShadyPanda” browser extension story is a masterclass in sinister patience. Five years! These extensions operated normally, building trust, accumulating millions of users… and then flipped a switch. It shows a scary evolution in cyber threats. The “smash-and-grab” attack is being replaced by the long-term infiltration. They’re not breaking down the door; they’re moving into the guest room and waiting for the right moment. For enterprises, this is a nightmare. An employee installs a seemingly useful tool years ago, it passes all security checks because it’s benign, and then one day it starts siphoning data. It makes the very concept of “trusted” software feel naive.
Cars, Design, and Rage
So, what connects the other stories? In a way, they’re all about collisions. “Carspreading” is a physical collision between consumer desire for bigger, safer vehicles and the reality of cramped, historic city infrastructure. The abusive football posts are the collision of tribal passion and the anonymity of social media. And Gerry McGovern’s exit from JLR? That’s the collision between bold, disruptive design—like the radical Jaguar Type 00 concept—and the harsh commercial realities of pulling a legendary brand into an electric future. His Reimagine strategy was a huge bet. Sometimes, when you bet big, the architect doesn’t get to see the final building. It’s a stark reminder that in tech, auto, and everywhere else, the visionaries who define an era often don’t get to stay for the messy part of making it real.
