Electronics

Plus, how parents and teens feel about screen time — both their own and each other's.

As we make our way from upgrade to upgrade, the old phones, tablets, televisions, computers, fridges, vacuums and other accessories are frivolously discarded - otherwise known as electronic waste (e-waste). Here’s what that means for now and what we might do about it in the future.

Around 45% of households have up to five unused devices.

Consent forms which allow the police to search through a victim’s electronic devices including messages, photos, emails and social media apps has been rolled out to 43 forces in England and Wales. The forms have been put in place after disclosure issues resulted in a spike of cases being dropped. But advocacy groups have said that asking sexual assault victims to hand over such sensitive information indiscriminately could deter people from coming forward, calling the measure a “digital strip-search” which treats the victims like suspects.