Digital Youth

Young people share how they create a digital balance

Joanne Gregory — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:37:44 +0000

Dynamic Interplay of Online Risk and Resilience in Adolescence (DIORA), one of our research projects, looked at how young people’s online activities shape their mental health and wellbeing. The study, co-designed with adolescents, used tools such as the Digital Activity and Feelings Inventory (DAFI) the Digital Insight and Agency Scale (DIAS), ...

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Digital Youth programme report published

Digital Youth Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 10:27:54 +0000

Our programme report has been officially launched, and is now available to download via the link below, or read online with the embedded PDF reader further down this page. Download programme report Read report online

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Digital Youth x MindTech Conference – Digital risk, resilience and interventions: co-creating change in youth mental health

Joanne Gregory — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 09:03:01 +0000

Event Details Date: Thursday, 13th November 2025, County Hall, London. On Thursday 13 November we welcomed over 200 delegates including researchers, young people, policy makers, academics, industry innovators and parents to take part in:Discovering key findings from the Digital Youth programme.Hearing from leading experts in child and adolescent mental health, including Dr Amy Orben ...

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Digital Youth researchers join governmental project to understand impact of smartphones and social media on young people

Digital Youth Admin — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:11:58 +0000

Experts from the University of Nottingham are part of the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use. Read more on the University of Nottingham website.

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Sprouting Minds skills workshop: presentations and zine-making

Joanne Gregory — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:49:20 +0000

On Saturday 11 May, members of Sprouting Minds and the programme management team met in London for a skills workshop hosted by science communicators Sarah Cosgriff and Hana Ayoob. In this cheerful and collaborative session, the Sprouts had the opportunity to develop their presentation skills through storytelling and communicate their knowledge and interests through zine-making.

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Working in partnership: bringing youth mental health research into the real world

Joanne Gregory — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:50:45 +0000

In April, researchers and young people from the Digital Youth Programme and Sprouting Minds met at the Anna Freud Centre with partner representatives from charities and third sector organisations to discuss our shared interests and priorities for the future of youth mental health.

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‘You just need to toughen up!?’ Exploring different understandings of the term resilience

Joanne Gregory — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:41:29 +0000

‘You just need to toughen up!?’ Exploring different understandings of the term resilience. The Digital Youth programme brings together a talented team with a diverse range of expertise, skills and experiences. This includes young people with lived experience expertise and researchers from a range of disciplines. Our Digital Definitions and Debates project makes the most of the opportunity this diversity in expertise and experience offers. We are:
- Compiling and creating short and clear explanations of commonly used language in Digital Youth mental health research.
- Hosting workshops to share and explore our understandings of more complex and contested terms where different perspectives are important.
We hope that this project will:
- Build understanding, facilitate meaningful conversations and enable further collaboration across our Digital Youth team.
- Provide a useful resource for Digital Youth team members and beyond.

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Screen time: Impacts on education and wellbeing

Joanne Gregory — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:10:05 +0000

The UK Government’s Education Committee recently called for evidence on “how screen time can support and impact children’s development, wellbeing, and educational outcomes” in order to understand “the effectiveness of digital safety education in schools and the ways in which schools and parents can be better supported to manage children’s screen usage” as well as “how screen use for academic purposes is being managed in schools.”

Coincidentally, the Prime Minister announced a mobile phone ban in UK schools, apparently on the grounds that they distract students from learning and facilitate cyberbullying. This was unexpected, and the relation between the proposed ban and the formal call for evidence has not been made clear.

Digital Youth and Sprouting Minds, in the middle of its examination of the complex risks and opportunities for mental health associated with young people’s engagement with the digital world, respond to this.

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Growing up in a Digital World: The implications on men’s mental health from both a lived experience and research perspective.

Joanne Gregory — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:00:36 +0000

Clearly, although social media and other online sites can be harmful to the mental health of men (as they can reinforce the harmful masculine norms in our society), they also provide opportunities for social support which would not otherwise be available to them. This is something that needs to change. It is hoped that the continued growth of these supportive online communities will eventually erode the stigmas which present a life-threatening risk to men. The question that remains is how can we maximise the positive influences of these supportive online communities while minimising those that are toxic and harmful?

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Reflections on Young People’s Advisory Groups (YPAGs);payment, emotional labour, legitimacy and some take homes

Joanne Gregory — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:08:24 +0000

I’ve decided to do a blog about my highlights from being on Young People Advisory Groups (YPAGs) over the past few years, as I step into the 26 – 30 age bracket. There is always some anxiety around turning 25+ when you have been involved in YPAGs because there is little or no clarity on what happens after 25 (in the patient and public involvement world) - are there more / fewer opportunities for meaningful involvement after 25?

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