Writing in iNews, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has said that a Labour government would introduce a 10-year programme to tackle knife crime and improve the lives of young people in the UK. Teenagers carrying knives would not be able to evade action from authorities, with criminal penalties, "not just slaps on the wrist", for individuals who break the law in online marketplaces. In a separate news article, iNews reports that Labour's scheme would be backed by £100 million, to be raised from taxing independent school fees. By Chloe Chaplain and Arj Singh. This news item has also been covered by Matt Dathan in The Times.

Following the launch of a parent-led campaign against Labour's plans to impose VAT on school fees, Britain editor of the New Statesman Anoosh Chakelian writes in The Guardian, saying: "The challenge for politicians aiming for a fairer Britain is to make this section of society care about inequality in general, rather than simply who gets to afford which private school."

Conservative MP and former teacher Miriam Cates has suggested that under-16s should be banned from using smartphones for the sake of their mental health. In response to the comments, prime minister Rishi Sunak said Ms Cates was "absolutely right to highlight the impact of what happens online to our children". By Tim Baker, Sky News. 

Following the publication today of the government's report on generative AI in education, academies minister Baroness Barran outlines what ministers are doing to help schools seize the "endless opportunities" of artificial intelligence (AI). Schools Week.

Tes also carefully considers the report, which calls for guidance to help teachers ”identify and manage student use of AI and respond to academic malpractice”. By Cerys Turner.

According to research by parental controls company Qustodio, children in the UK are using TikTok for more than two hours a day, making British youngsters some of the heaviest users of the social media app worldwide. By Matthew Field, The Telegraph. 

Professor Sir Chris Whitty has urged ministers to highlight the fact that infections such as chlamydia and syphilis spread among people with “conventional sexual and romantic lives”. England's chief medical officer also said there was a need to “double down on the basics” such as wearing condoms, and to educate pupils on sexual health in schools before they begin having sex. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times. 

Tens of thousands more young people are growing up obese after the pandemic, research by the University of Southampton and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has found. Covid lockdowns led to the largest increase in child obesity in decades, as activity levels fell due to an increase in screen time and the closure of school and sporting clubs. By Eleanor Hayward, The Times. 

Modelling carried out by the Early Education and Childcare Coalition using official government figures suggests up to 50,000 new nursery staff and childminders will have to be recruited this year if ministers are to meet their pledge to provide 15 free hours of childcare a week to working families. By Oliver Wright, The Times. 

In an article for Independent Schools Magazine, executive principal of Haberdashers' Boys' School Gus Lock reflects on the success of the school's partnership activity over the last year and looks ahead at what is to come. On the plentiful benefits of collaboration, Mr Lock explains: "Opening our school gates has other advantages too, not just for children but for staff, too."

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