- 26 minutes 29 secondsToo young to scroll?
What is a good age to give a child a smartphone? A community in Ireland might have the answer. In Greystones there's a voluntary agreement to wait until secondary school age. We hear from the school principal who leads the "It Takes A Village" initiative, and a local parent.
Also this week: a woman tells Shiona McCallum how surviving a late-night attack inspired her to develop a wearable safety device. And AI was let loose to run a cafe in Sweden. Find out what happened next.
Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: A small group of boys and girls look at their smartphones. Credit: Getty Images)
7 July 2026, 8:00 pm - 26 minutes 28 secondsWhat happens when health information is shadow banned?
We look at an issue known as shadow banning. What is it? How does it work? And could it be affecting health education messages for women and young girls?
Also this week: we're feeling nostalgic about the discs that hold our favourite video games. And Shiona McCallum speaks to the founder of the Global Gaming League.
Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: A young sports woman relaxes after a workout. She is lying on a yoga mat, looking at her smartphone. Credit: Getty Images)
30 June 2026, 7:30 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsViva technology!
Shiona McCallum visits a huge technology show in Paris. There, she finds some of the latest kit that could be in your home or workplace before too long. And we're talking about data centres. They are central to our modern online lives. But not everyone thinks they are great. Shiona speaks to the head of a big global data centre company about some of the challenges facing the industry.
Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: Shiona McCallum tries on some wearable tech at VivaTech in Paris. Credit: BBC)
23 June 2026, 8:00 pm - 26 minutes 30 secondsChatGPT prompt generates disturbing images
A group of cybersecurity researchers found a prompt which gets past ChatGPT’s guardrails and causes it to generate some disturbing images. We unpack what this tells us about the way AI is trained, and how it could be exploited. Also on the show, after a recent episode about potholes, we were contacted by the UK’s ministry of transport. We speak to their chief scientific adviser about potholes and the future of transport. And what is a quantum diamond magnetometer? We speak to the company which has just put one into space – in order to measure where magnetic north really is.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones
(Image: A phone with the white and black ChatGPT logo on it. In the background is green Matrix-style code. Credit: Getty Images)
16 June 2026, 7:30 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsTackling lithium battery fires on planes
When we fly we love to take our gadgets with us. But the lithium batteries that power them can catch fire. We find out about a new campaign urging us to pack with safety in mind.
Also this week: the BBC's Lily Jamali visits an international competition for new AI applications in San Francisco. And protecting Africa's endangered wildlife is an increasingly high-tech business - a new scheme aims to give conservation workers the latest skills.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: A man is in an airport lounge. He is charging his smartphone with a portable charger, which is resting on a suitcase. Credit: Getty Images)
9 June 2026, 8:00 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsMicrosoft's big quantum bet
Microsoft unveils a new quantum chip. It's a big moment for the company, as its quantum programme has faced criticism. Is the tech giant's strategy finally paying off? And when will this chip deliver practical quantum computing? The BBC's Technology Editor, Zoe Kleinman, interviews Microsoft's executive vice president for quantum.
Also this week: what new tech can soccer fans expect at the World Cup? Shiona McCallum reports from FIFA headquarters in Switzerland. And a leading critic of AI hype returns to Tech Life.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: A hand is seen holding the new Majorana 2 quantum chip from Microsoft. The chip is gold-coloured. It is so large that it is the same size as the hand. Credit: Microsoft)
2 June 2026, 7:30 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsTeaching in the AI world
We speak to Google about the introduction of artificial intelligence into classroom learning, and what they think this will mean for teachers and pupils.
Also this week: Shiona McCallum reports on a new artificial limb which is making a big difference to the life of one man who has a very personal story to tell. And find out about the engineering technology that's being used to check the heart health of unborn babies as they grow in the womb. Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: A female teacher sits at a classroom desk with a female high school pupil looking at a laptop screen. Credit: Getty Images)
26 May 2026, 7:30 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsMyth or mythos: Is the AI cyber threat real?
From fears that a powerful new AI could supercharge hacking, to the ransomware gangs holding our data hostage, we talk to a former FBI expert about the latest cyber threats.
Also in Tech Life this week: we hear from a listener who is using dermatology tech to educate schoolchildren on the importance of staying safe in the sun. Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn
(Photo: Numerous computer screens are displaying green-coloured code and a finger pointing at a smartphone screen. Credit: Getty Images)
19 May 2026, 8:00 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsThe AI pothole hunter
Drivers and cyclists know the dangers of potholes and broken road signs. A Swedish company is fitting vehicles with cameras, and using AI to spot potential problems and defects. We speak to the CEO to find out how it works.
Also in Tech Life this week: some think the internet's business model is obsolete. We talk to a big tech leader on what might replace it. And a young entrepreneur, who learned to code without a computer, tells us about his AI teaching app that will work without the internet.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn
(Image: Deep potholes have formed on a tarmac road. They are deep enough to catch rainwater. A car is about to drive over them. Credit: Getty Images)
12 May 2026, 7:45 pm - 26 minutes 31 secondsCould this tech help millions of us sleep better?
An anti-snoring device is being trialled as a potential solution to sleep apnoea, a condition which affects millions and can have wide-ranging consequences on daily life. We speak to the team behind the trial. Also on the programme, two health tech entrepreneurs whose personal experiences informed their products: A man who had a heart attack at 44 and now works to help reduce hospital recovery times, and a woman who lost a close family member to breast cancer and is working to help inform women in Pakistan to spot the signs and get help.
Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones
(Image: A man asleep in bed with a black boomerang-shaped device attached to his neck. Credit: Zeus Sleeps)
5 May 2026, 7:30 pm - 26 minutes 29 secondsThe workers in the engine room of big tech
We look at revelations about outsourced tech workers in Kenya, and try to find out why more than a thousand of them have been made redundant.
Also this week: are you getting the best out of artificial intelligence? Could changing "how" you communicate with AI make a difference? We speak to an author and put his recommendations to an AI test. And we hear from a company turning lamp-posts into data centres.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn
(Image: The words "Meta AI" are displayed on a smartphone screen. The phone is resting on a laptop keyboard. Credit: Reuters)
28 April 2026, 7:32 pm - More Episodes? Get the App