News / 24 Aug 2026
Leeds Arts University research cited in UK Parliament briefing on social media and young people
Research
A project led by Dr Dawn Woolley, Research Fellow at Leeds Arts University, has been cited in a new briefing from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), examining the impacts of social media on children and young people.
The POST briefing ‘Impacts of social media on children and young people’ draws on national and international evidence to set out what is known about the risks and benefits of social media use for children and young people aged 0–24. It is intended to give MPs and peers an impartial, evidence-based grounding in the issue as Parliament continues to scrutinise online safety policy.
POST is an impartial research and knowledge exchange service based in the UK Parliament. It works to ensure that cutting-edge research evidence and expertise is accessible to members of both Houses, covering emerging or complex science and social science topics. Being included in one of its briefings is a significant marker of the impact of Dr Woolley’s research.
Dr Woolley's online objectification project is funded by Include+ (EPSRC) and examines girls' experiences of viewing objectifying content online. The project is delivered in partnership with Getaway Girls, a charity based in South Leeds that supports girls and young women to lead safe, healthy and fulfilled lives.
Its primary aims are to understand how exposure to objectifying content affects the wellbeing of young women, and to co-design an intervention that helps build their resilience to it.
“We are delighted that our research findings have informed this important parliamentary report and hope that the experiences and ideas shared by participants at Getaway Girls influence future policies about young people and social media. Working with Getaway Girls in Leeds allowed us to understand the impacts of objectifying content on a culturally diverse group of girls and young women. As a Leeds-based project, we are pleased that the significance of the findings is recognised and that we can amplify the voices and lived experiences of participants at a national level, contributing to the nuance and intersectionality of policy recommendations.”
Dr Dawn Woolley, Research Fellow
Being cited in a POST briefing means this research is now directly informing the evidence base available to Parliament as it considers legislation and policy affecting children's online safety.