Promoting digital wellbeing through education

Supervisor: Dr Beth Bell

A) Rationale for the project

Recent Ofcom data indicates that 99% of young people have internet access outside of school. In online environments, young people are exposed to wide ranging risks of harm, including risks related to Content (e.g., unrealistic appearance ideals), Conduct (e.g., engagement in bullying), Contact (e.g., grooming, bully victim) and Commercialisation/Contract (e.g., scams). All of these “4Cs” of online harm can have a significant negative impact on children and adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing. Educating young people about the potential harms of digital environment can help to mitigate against these online risks and improve wellbeing. However, research on digital citizenship and critical digital literacy is still in its infancy, and little is known about the most effective approaches for this.

B) References that should be read

Bell, B. T., Taylor, C., Paddock, D., & Bates, A. (2022). Digital Bodies: A controlled evaluation of a brief classroom‐based intervention for reducing negative body image among adolescents in the digital age. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(1), 280-298.

Livingstone, S., Mascheroni, G., & Stoilova, M. (2021). The outcomes of gaining digital skills for young people’s lives and wellbeing: A systematic evidence review. New media & society, 14614448211043189.

Weinstein, E., & James, C. (2022). School-Based Initiatives Promoting Digital Citizenship and Healthy Digital Media Use. In Telzer, E. H., Nesi, J., & Prinstein, M. J., Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health, pp. 365-388.

C) Research aims and questions

Your research will aim to understand how digital wellbeing can be effectively promoted through education. For example, you may aim to co-produce and evaluate educational resources, explore barriers and facilitators to education in this space with teachers, or analyse existing approaches and resources.

D) Methods

You will determine your own methodology through reading and supervision. Most likely, this project will involve qualitative or mixed-methods approaches.