02/09/2025

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S. Korea to ban mobile phones in classrooms SOUTH KOREA has passed a bill banning the use of mobile phones in school classrooms nationwide, officials said recently, joining other countries in efforts to curb social media use among minors. One of the world’s most-wired nations, South Korea has recently sought to tighten rules on electronic devices in schools, citing concerns over smartphone addiction among students. The bill, which will take effect in March next year, bans smart devices, including mobile phones in classrooms, and was passed recently, a National Assembly spokesperson said. The move makes South Korea the latest country to restrict social media use among schoolchildren, following similar steps in other countries, including Australia and the Netherlands. Seoul’s Education Ministry said in a statement that the law bans the use of smartphones in classrooms except when needed as assistive tools for students with disabilities or special education needs, or for educational purposes. The measure establishes a legal basis to “restrict the possession and use of such devices to protect students’ right to learn and support teachers’ activities”, it added. Lawmakers, including opposition People Power Party member Cho Jung-hun, who introduced the bill, said the issue had long been “contentious amid concerns over human rights violations”. But the country’s National Human Rights Commission recently changed its stance, saying limits on phone use for educational purposes do not breach rights given their negative impact on students’ learning and emotional well-being. Against this backdrop, the law was needed to ease social conflict “by clearly defining rules on smart device use in schools”, the lawmakers said in a document introducing the bill. – AFP Meta adds new AI to block flirty teen chats META is adding new teenager safeguards to its artificial intelligence (AI) products by training systems to avoid flirty conversations and discussions of self-harm or suicide with minors, and by temporarily limiting their access to certain AI characters. A report last month revealed how Meta allowed provocative chatbot behaviour, including letting bots engage in “conversations that are romantic or sensual”. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in an email recently that the company is taking these temporary steps while developing longer-term measures to ensure teens have safe, age-appropriate AI experiences. Stone said the safeguards are already being rolled out and will be adjusted over time as the company refines its systems. Meta’s AI policies came under intense scrutiny and backlash after the report. US Senator Josh Hawley launched a probe into the Facebook parent’s AI policies recently, demanding documents on rules that allowed its chatbots to interact inappropriately with minors. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have expressed alarm over the rules outlined in an internal Meta document. Meta had confirmed the document’s authenticity, but said after receiving questions, the company removed portions that stated it was permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic role play with children. “The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed,” Stone said. – Reuters

DJ Gloria performs at Josefina, an outdoor summer bar and club in Stockholm.

At 81, pensioner DJ Gloria fills Sweden’s dancefloors

S HE drops the beat and gets her groove on, spinning discs like a pro as her head-to-toe sequins twinkle under the lights: 81-year-old DJ Gloria is filling dancefloors across Sweden. “I’ve been a DJ for 16 years. Today, I’m really good... There’s not a person I cannot get onto the dancefloor,” she said at her seniors’ residence in a leafy neighbourhood of southern Stockholm. DJ Gloria, whose real name is Madelein Mansson, plays Sweden’s hottest nightclubs with special gigs for crowds over the age of 50 – ID o Madelein Mansson plays hottest nightclubs, catering to crowds over 50

DJ Gloria’s gigs usually start around 6pm and wrap up around 11pm. She kicks off every set with I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. “It is totally perfect for starting a disco... It has 116 to 118 beats per minute. So it’s not too fast and not too slow. And the lyrics are good,” she said. Sometimes she rounds off the evening with Beyonce’s version of At Last, or a little Elvis, or “sometimes with AC/DC’s Thunderstruck if I’m in the mood.” Selfies, new music At her gigs, the Swede can be seen interacting with the crowd, clapping, stepping and swinging lithely to the thumping beat, her dazzling “DJ Gloria” headphones hugging her ears. Some women come up to her booth to take selfies with her, while others request songs on colourful Post-it notes on a side table. Mansson – who has a varied background as a jazz singer, a clothing designer and garden centre owner – keeps up with music trends, picking up influences from everyone she meets. “I recently met a 15-year-old girl who was listening to The Weeknd and Drake. I think they are great.” And while she already has DJ gigs booked a year in advance, she also has another side hustle up her sequined sleeve. “I’m writing a book about exercise for seniors called Good Enough: A Little But Often. ” – AFP

from the dancefloor. Another

partygoer,

69-year-old

Louise, agreed. “She is the best DJ we have ever had in Sweden. She promotes all these women. She makes them strong. Look at them, they are young forever. Love her!” she said. Mansson decided to become a DJ after her husband passed away when she was 62, following nine years of caring for him around-the-clock. “I was depressed. Listless and sad,” she recalled. She chose to become an aerobics instructor. Putting the music together for her classes was great fun, and her playlists grew longer and longer. “One night, I was having dinner with friends. We were sitting outside, it was summer and we were drinking wine, and I heard myself say, ‘I think I’m going to be a DJ.’” ‘In bed by 11pm’ A friend’s DJ son gave her three private lessons and she was on her way. “I was really bad in the beginning,” she admitted. She visited other clubs to see how DJs worked. She discovered there was not a single Swedish club that opened before 11pm. “Scandalous! I want to be home and in bed by 11pm. So I asked a friend, ‘Do you want to start a 50-plus disco with me?’”

cards required! – which primarily draw women who just want to get down and boogie. On a recent evening at the Josefina club on Stockholm’s waterfront, her setlist included hip-swinging hits such as Mamma Mia , Funkytown , Moves Like Jagger and I’ve Been Thinking About You. “She’s

The friend agreed and now they run a company together.

j u s t fantastic. I mean, at that age ... she brings so

much

energy and love. If you are 55 plus, it is not so easy to find somewhere to go (dancing). And Gloria just started this for all of us,” Eva Jakobson, 63, said while taking a break

Mansson aka DJ Gloria.

DJ Gloria grooving to the beat at Josefina. – ALL PICS FROM AFP