Social media’s pop psychology fuels self-diagnosis and performative empathy, distorting genuine compassion. Counsellor Mariyam Sultana highlights class, culture, and privilege shaping empathy in Bangladesh, urging self-awareness, authentic connection, and mindful action beyond online validation for genuine emotional understanding and societal well-being.

In Bangla, terms related to mental illness are often reduced to one crude word: pagol (a mad person).

Australia will include YouTube in its upcoming ban on social media access for teenagers under 16, reversing an earlier exemption for the platform.

Brainrot essentially describes the withering of mental faculties from overexposure to low-value digital content.

The July Movement in Bangladesh fused protest with digital defiance, using social media to bypass media silence, mobilize voices, and challenge power. It reshaped activism, highlighting social media’s role in truth, trauma, and transformation.

Dumb phones are making a comeback as people seek digital detox, improved focus, and nostalgia. With lower costs, longer battery life, and fewer distractions, ditching smartphones offers a mindful escape — despite missing out on modern conveniences.

The internet, once a mere repository of information, has evolved into the most formidable arena for political engagement.

The US government announced Wednesday it will start reviewing the social media activity of visa applicants and immigrants for antisemitic content, according to a recent report by Reuters. The announcement has been heavily criticised by certain civil liberties groups as an overreach that threatens free expression.

What started as a niche form of entertainment, in recent years, has grown into a medium for storytelling, political satire, and everyday connection. Memes now serve as a mirror of society, and as Bangladesh continues to embrace digitalisation, they are now contributing to online conversations and sparking social change.

Grooming of minors by paedophilic adults seems to be an overlooked yet pressing societal anomaly

Do we question the information that floods our social media feeds or passively consume and share without critical evaluation?

Social media has become a crucial part of this transformation, influencing everything from politics to social movements.

The European Union (EU) has updated its code of conduct on online hate speech, requiring social media platforms like Meta’s Facebook, Elon Musk’s X, and Google’s YouTube to step up efforts to tackle harmful content. The European Commission announced the changes on Monday, integrating the code into the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).

Bluesky, the decentralised social media platform, has seen a recent surge in new users and is taking steps to improve security and combat impersonation. With more people joining the platform, the company is introducing stricter measures to ensure accounts are authentic and trustworthy, as per an official post by the platform.

Australia has decided not to go ahead with a plan to fine social media companies for failing to stop the spread of false information. The proposed law would have allowed fines of up to 5% of a company’s yearly earnings but was dropped because it didn’t have enough support in the country's Senate.

Australia plans to trial an age-verification system that may include biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off, some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that his government will introduce legislation to prevent users under 16 from accessing social media platforms, citing the risks of online harm.

Political discussions today often devolve into verbal battlegrounds, where the goal seems less about understanding and more about winning. Social media, creating echo chambers and shrinking attention spans, amplifies this by rewarding outrage and oversimplification over nuance and depth.

We are currently habituated to mindlessly scrolling on our phones without even realising that hours have passed since we picked up the device. The following pointers can help you take control of this harmful habit.

Bangladeshi film actress, singer, and model Nusraat Faria still finds herself in a difficult position — her name continues to be associated with a former prime minister across social media discussions, often with negative undertones.