Professor Joel Talcott

Our latest Researcher of the Month, Professor Joel Talcott, is one of a team of researchers and educators who have worked on a new universal screener for all Year 1 children in the UK, which will be made freely available to all teachers this Autumn.

Within the UK education system, formal identification of SEND typically involves ascribing diagnostic labels, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or ADHD, based on under-attainment in one or more educational outcomes, compared with age-related expectations. However, access to assessment and diagnosis is challenging, and it is currently not equitable for all. The cost of missing children’s needs has serious personal consequences, as pupils underachieve due to unidentified barriers to learning. It also has wider and significant economic costs to society as a whole.

Professor Talcott's new universal screener will address this issue. It offers a simple screening tool, which teachers are initially advised to use with 

 pupils during the first term of Year 1. 

Supported by government funding through a special educational needs innovation initiative, the Universal Classroom will be delivered via a freely accessible web platform, allowing any school or teacher to use it at no cost.

Joel Talcott is Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at Aston University. His research employs a multimodal framework spanning genetics, neuroimaging and cognitive neuropsychology to investigate the mechanisms underlying typical and atypical development of reading, mathematics and associated learning processes. He leads the Universal Classroom Project, an initiative developing scalable digital tools for early screening and guidance to support diverse learners in educational settings. Professor Talcott contributes regularly to evidence-informed policy development through collaboration with education sector organisations and government bodies, providing scientific insight into the mechanisms underlying learning variability, their early identification and how they can be equitably addressed within education.

Professor Joel Talcott investigates the mechanisms underlying typical and atypical development of reading, mathematics and associated learning processes. He leads the Universal Classroom Project (launching in Autumn 2026), an initiative developing scalable digital tools for early screening and guidance to support diverse learners in educational settings. 

The Universal Classroom: A New Free Screening Tool for Year 1 Teachers

Daphne Ling

While there have been many empirical studies of childhood ADHD, there have been few qualitative studies investigating first-hand accounts of the lived experiences of children. Much of the literature focuses on the perspectives of parents or teachers, rather than centring children’s voices. But what are children's thoughts, feelings and experiences? Our latest Researcher of the Month, PhD candidate Daphne Ling, has recently 

 which begin to address this research gap. 

Daphne Ling is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her research examines how stimulant medications affect executive functioning in children with ADHD as well as in neurotypical young adults. Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive processes such as concentration, selective and focused attention, cognitive flexibility, problem‑solving and working memory, and are important skills for success in today’s world. Her work aims to improve evidence‑based standards of care to help children with ADHD thrive academically and in daily life, and she hopes that more children’s voices can be heard in research.

Daphne Ling is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her research examines how stimulant medications affect executive functioning in children with ADHD as well as in neurotypical young adults. Her work aims to improve evidence‑based standards of care to help children with ADHD thrive academically and in daily life, and she hopes that more children’s voices can be heard in research.

Children's Experiences of ADHD

Dr Maria Korochkina

? This long-overdue initiative reflects growing concern and renewed commitment around children’s reading and literacy.

“The ability to read opens up worlds. Reading enables children to progress into post-primary education and provides the basis for lifelong learning and prosperity into adulthood”.

Frequent readers tend to have a stronger understanding of both their own and others’ emotions. They are often better able to communicate these emotions, a skill linked to higher emotional intelligence and improved mental wellbeing. Reading also encourages cause-and-effect reasoning and helps children imagine scenarios beyond the immediate moment - developing the skill of -future-thinking'. A rich vocabulary underpins learning across the school curriculum, strengthens thinking and communication skills, and predicts both academic attainment and later life outcomes. Research consistently shows that 

the most effective way to build vocabulary is through reading

However, learning to read well is not quick or effortless. The 

, requiring high-quality classroom instruction alongside sustained practice through independent reading. For many children, this process is painstaking, demanding consistent teaching, encouragement and opportunity over time.

Against this backdrop, recent evidence presents a worrying picture. 

Fewer children are reading for pleasure than ever before.

 In 2024, only one in three UK children and young people aged eight to 18 reported enjoying reading in their free time. Even more strikingly, just one in five said they read daily for pleasure, the lowest level recorded since the National Literacy Trust began collecting this data in 2005.

This matters because reading ability and reading enjoyment are deeply intertwined. Children who find reading effortful are far less likely to choose to read independently. Dr Korochkina’s research highlights how early reading experiences shape later habits: difficulties with phonic and morphological knowledge in the early stages of reading acquisition can have a snowball effect, reducing confidence, fluency and motivation over time.

Her work also offers a powerful note of optimism. Books that children actively choose to read, including contemporary, popular texts, provide rich opportunities to develop vocabulary, particularly when children read widely. Ensuring access to a diverse range of engaging reading material, alongside strong early instruction, can play a vital role in building both reading skill and reading motivation.

Fostering confident, motivated readers requires long-term commitment. It is not enough for children simply to have books available to them. They need skilled teaching, time, practice and a culture that values reading as both a skill and a pleasure.

Dr Maria Korochkina is a psychologist at Aston University, whose research explores how we acquire linguistic knowledge and how our experience with language shapes learning across different domains and throughout life. She combines methods from cognitive science and neuroscience to investigate these questions. Dr Korochkina has strong expertise in applied statistics and is a dedicated advocate for transparency and reproducibility in research. She is equally passionate about making science accessible to the wider community and amplifying diverse voices in research to drive meaningful societal change. Dr Korochkina completed her MSc at the University of Potsdam (Germany) and her PhD at Macquarie University (Australia). She is currently a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Prize Fellow (tenure-track) in the Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment at Aston University. In 2023, her work was recognised with the Credibility Prize by the British Neuroscience Association. The work we are highlighting in this article was conducted whilst Dr Korochkina was a postdoctoral researcher in the Rastle Lab (

) at Royal Holloway, University of London. Learn more about her research 

Dr Maria Korochkina is a psychologist at Aston University, whose research explores how we acquire linguistic knowledge and how our experience with language shapes learning across different domains and throughout life. She combines methods from cognitive science and neuroscience to investigate these questions.  The work we are highlighting in this article was conducted whilst Dr Korochkina was a postdoctoral researcher in the Rastle Lab (

The power of reading: books, vocabulary and learning

Professor Julia Davidson OBE and Dr Ruby Farr

As the most digitally connected generation so far, young people today face new challenges. Our latest Researchers of the Month, Professor Davidson and Dr Farr, have found that in the last decade, an increasing number of young people (particularly young men) have committed serious cybercrime offences, particularly hacking and money laundering. Their 

, written following a large research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, seeks to understand the drivers behind this trend. It explores a range of potential factors that may lead young people to engage in risky online behaviours, and to identify effective pathways for prevention.

 is Professor of Criminal Justice and Cybercrime and Executive Director of Research, Impact and Innovation. She is also Director of the Institute for Connected Communities and the Child Online Harms Policy Think Tank (launched 2025). She is one of the UK’s foremost experts on advocacy, policy and practice in child safeguarding, online harms/safety and youth cybercrime. She is Chair of the UK Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group and provides expert advice to international and national organisations such as the Technology Coalition, UNICEF, the US Sentencing Commission, and the UN ITU, the Home Office and the DCMS. She is a member of the Europol EC3 Expert Academic Advisory Committee and acted as Chair of the Research Ethics Committee to the Independent Inquiry into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. Her expertise was key to the development of the national child protection policy and five year plan in Rwanda and continues to work with partners across Africa to safeguard and protect children online.

 is a Research Fellow at the University of East London, Institute for Connected Communities, and a recognised scholar in the field of cyber violence and online harms, examining the intersection between evolving technologies and human behaviour. She has worked in the area of social justice for almost two decades, driving evidence-led policy and practice, with the past seven years dedicated to understanding and tackling harms in cyberspace. She holds an Honours degree in Criminology and a PhD awarded by scholarship in 2022, focused on understanding the long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Throughout her career, Dr Farr has collaborated with Members of Parliament, law enforcement agencies, charities, academic institutions, Government authorities and other third-sector organisations. Her expertise explores how technology has reshaped criminality, societal norms, human behaviour and lived realities.

Professor Julia Davidson OBE is one of the UK’s foremost experts on advocacy, policy and practice in child safeguarding, online harms/safety and youth cybercrime. Dr Ruby Farr is a Research Fellow at the University of East London, Institute for Connected Communities, and a recognised scholar in the field of cyber violence and online harms, examining the intersection between evolving technologies and human behaviour. 

Pathways into and Out of Youth Cybercrime

, is scheduled for publication this month.

Crossing the line into cybercrime

Dr Nomisha Kurian

Children and young people are now growing up surrounded by AI, and the landscape is shifting fast. 

 suggests that around half of children aged 8–17 regularly use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bard or Snapchat’s MyAI. Many describe these interactions as feeling like conversations with a friend. A recent 

 found that 33% of teens had actually chosen to talk to an AI companion instead of a real person about something important or serious.

Whether children are asking voice assistants to answer their questions, relying on chatbots for bedtime stories, using learning apps for revision or engaging with large generative AI models, it’s essential to remember that most of these systems were built with adults in mind, not children. They often assume levels of attention, memory and emotional maturity that younger users simply don’t have. Even older children and teenagers, who increasingly use AI as a supportive confidante (often without adult supervision or knowledge), are still learning to navigate boundaries around trust, identity and emotion.

Our latest Researcher of the Month, Dr Nomisha Kurian, wants this to change. She has developed a new framework called Developmentally Aligned Design (DAD), which outlines how AI can be built with children’s needs, vulnerabilities and strengths at its core. She also 

, sharing practical tips on recognising when children may be relying too heavily on AI for emotional connection, how to talk to them about healthy boundaries, and how parents and educators can help children and young people use AI tools safely, creatively and critically.

Dr Nomisha Kurian completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge and researches how artificial intelligence impacts children's wellbeing and how to make AI safer for children. She is the first education specialist to win the University of Cambridge Applied Research Award for "outstanding real-world impact" and also the recipient of the Cambridge Vice-Chancellor's Social Impact Award for "exceptional achievement in social change". Alongside her role as Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, she is also an Associate Fellow at the University of Cambridge Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence.

Dr Nomisha Kurian researches how artificial intelligence impacts children's wellbeing and how to make AI safer for children. 

 proposing a Developmentally Aligned Design (DAD) as a practical and ethical framework for building AI systems that meet children where they are, cognitively, socially and emotionally. 

Supporting Children’s Use of AI

Chiara Fehr

As part of the early stages of her PhD study, our latest researcher of the month, Chiara Fehr, ran several focus groups about experiences of TikTok with eight 17 year old girls. Using creative methods, such as  ‘TikTok show and tells’ a collaging session and a utopic mapping exercise, Chiara is exploring whether dominant narratives around growing up in a digitised world reflect the real life experiences of teens, and has summarised her findings so far in a 

Chiara Fehr's research looks into algorithmically facilitated self making amongst teenagers, exploring how platform infrastructures, such as that of TikTok and Instagram influence iterations of contemporary girlhood. Central to her work is an interest in the complex gendered inequalities which emerge in an increasingly digitised world.

Algorithmised Girlhood: Teenage Girls and TikTok

Professor Cara Swit

We're all used to reading about children and young people's increasing use of digital tech. But what about adults' use? And what impact might our tech use have on family life? 

Parents today are spending an unprecedented amount of time on their devices. One 

 found that parents spend an average of nine hours per day engaged with screen devices. Over four hours of this is on smartphones, averaging 67 phone checks per day. Despite children's central role in family life, their voices and perspectives on the device use of the adults around them have been largely neglected in research. 

Along with colleagues, our latest Researcher of the Month, Professor Cara Swit, has published a fascinating 

 exploring the experiences and perceptions of children aged six to nine about their parents’ device use at home and its impact on them.

As a leader in early childhood social development in Aotearoa, Professor Swit specialises in researching the critical developmental period of early childhood (0-8 years). She is particularly interested in how children's reciprocal interactions with peers and adults during this period profoundly influence their lifelong success. Supportive parent-child interactions are a key driver of wellbeing and resilience. For school age children, parental interactions and experiences set the foundation for their relationships with peers and teachers. Understanding the various factors that strengthen and weaken supportive parent-child interactions is therefore central to the development, growth, and advancement of young children’s social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. A core contribution of her research is the development of novel, developmentally-appropriate measures for young children, enabling children’s participation in research, including incorporating emerging technologies, such as animations and video stimulated interviews, to gain insight into children’s perspectives of their social interactions with peers. 

Professor Cara Swit specialises in researching the critical developmental period of early childhood. She is particularly interested in how children's reciprocal interactions with peers and adults during this period profoundly influence their lifelong success. A core contribution of her research is the development of novel, developmentally-appropriate measures for young children, enabling children’s participation in research, including incorporating emerging technologies, such as animations and video stimulated interviews, to gain insight into children’s perspectives of their social interactions with peers. 

Along with co-authors, Professor Smit has recently published a 

 exploring young children’s perceptions of their parents’ digital device use.

“[They use devices] alllllllll day long”. What do children think about our tech use?

Dr Megan Reynolds

In recent years, banning or restricting children’s access to smartphones and social media has grasped the attention of policy makers, schools and parents. A number of countries, including France, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, and regions of the US and Canada have introduced laws, policies or guidance for schools to ‘ban’ or heavily restrict the use of phones. Within Ireland, in 2024, the Minister for Education announced her intention to introduce smartphone bans in post-primary schools, whilst at the same time acknowledging that individual schools are best placed to decide on the scope and scale of restrictions for their students. 

Whilst these bans aim to protect children from harm, and teachers often anecdotally report seeing benefits, evaluations of existing research highlight a lack of evidence on their efficacy. At the moment, we simply don't know enough about the impact of bans. Evidence is hampered by the fact that technological developments and technology use is moving at a faster pace than research. Some studies  suggest that bans are beneficial to academic outcomes and mental wellbeing. Others suggest no effects. However, many studies have methodological weaknesses, use small samples or retrospective data, and can't ascribe causal mechanisms.

Our latest Researcher of the Month, Dr Megan Reynolds, has recently published a 

 which explores young people's perspectives and experiences of smartphone bans in their schools. Unlike most previous research, it centres student voices in this high profile issue.

Dr Megan Reynolds is a postdoctoral researcher at the Anti-Bullying Centre at Dublin City University. She's working on the Cilter DTIF project, which focuses on the detection of cyberbullying, self-harm, suicide-related and grooming content for the development of Cilter technology. Previously, Dr Reynolds was a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin, where she worked on a project investigating COVID-19 misinformation. She obtained her PhD from Queen's University Belfast and her PhD thesis investigated unwanted sexual experiences, mental health impacts, alcohol use and consent on university campuses in Northern Ireland. Prior to her PhD, Dr Reynolds obtained an MSc in Forensic Psychology at the University of Central Lancashire.

Dr Megan Reynolds is a psychology researcher, who has expertise in sexual violence, consent, mental health and online harms. She has published academic articles and reports on a variety of topics, such as smartphone bans, youth online engagement, ethical challenges in sensitive research and in children and young people research, online harms and safety, and sexual violence and consent.

Along with co-authors, Dr Reynolds has recently published a 

 exploring how existing smartphone bans are experienced and understood by students.

Students’ views on smartphone bans

Luisa Fassi

As Luisa Fassi, our new Researcher of the Month, comments, "The link between social media use and youth mental health is hotly debated, but hardly any studies look at young people already struggling with clinical-level mental health symptoms". In fact, Luisa's 

large systematic review and meta-analysis

 found that only 11% of papers published on the topic since 2007 focused on young people with clinical conditions. Her review also showed that the data used to evidence mental health conditions in these existing studies is not always strong or especially robust. Many report links between social media and mental health on the basis of short self-report questionnaires, where young people are asked about symptoms. 

Whilst this wasn't found as part of Luisa's review, it is also the case that very few papers in the field differentiate between different mental health conditions, or examine different symptoms or conditions (such as anxiety, ADHD or eating disorders) in isolation. 

To address this research gap, Luisa and colleagues have recently published a fascinating and nuanced 

It analyses both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of social media use from a nationally representative survey of 3,340 teens in the UK aged between 11 and 19 years old, which was conducted by NHS Digital in 2017. Rather than gathering mental health data from self-report questionnaires, the young people in the survey underwent a full clinical screening, which included interviews with the young people, their parents and teachers. Information about social media use came from questionnaires completed by participants. They were not asked about specific platforms. Luisa used this data to gather novel insights into how social media and mental health are related in teens who both meet and do not meet diagnostic criteria for a wide range of mental health conditions. 

The study does not establish any causal links, but it does reveals a range of differences between young people with and without mental health conditions when it comes to social media.

Louisa Fassi is a PhD researcher at the University of Cambridge, working across the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and the Department of Psychiatry. Her research, which was recently recognised by the Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award, focuses on studying the relationship between social media use and adolescents' mental health. She previously completed a Masters in Psychological Research at the University of Oxford. Her academic background spans molecular psychiatry, cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Louisa is also an active promoter of open research practices and chairs the Open Science Committee at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.

Luisa studies the relationship between social media use and adolescents' mental health. 

Along with co-authors, Luisa has recently published a 

 which explores social media use in teens with and without clinical level mental health conditions.

Do teens with mental health conditions use social media differently than their peers?

Roxana Pomplun

Our latest researcher of the month, Roxana Pomplun, has investigated the interactions, experiences and perceptions of younger adolescents, aged 11, 12, and 13, with algorithmically curated platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Spotlight on Snapchat and Reels on Instagram. These kinds of platforms use algorithms to personalise and tailor feeds, harnessing user data to suggest content that the individual is most likely to be interested in and engage with. As such, young people have little control over what they are seeing in their feeds. Tech companies are not yet required to be transparent about the data that they are collecting, but it tends to include demographic information such as age, gender or location, along with use patterns. 

Whilst these sites dominate the digital lives of tweens and teens, until now they have received little dedicated research attention, particularly in relation to younger users, with most existing studies focusing on older teens. 

Whilst we know that most social media platforms have age limits of 13, we also know that many younger children are active users, particularly of algorithmically curated platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Given that early adolescence is a life phase marked by critical neurological development, identity development and heightened susceptibility to mental health issues, deepening our understanding of how younger adolescents engage with social media is vital. 

Roxana's qualitative research, where a group of young people eloquently explore their own experiences and perceptions, broadens our knowledge of social media use within an age group that appears increasingly aware of the digital influences shaping their online experiences, yet which is still in need of support to fully navigate these ecosystems.

Roxana has just passed the viva voce for her NIHR-funded PhD in Applied Health Research at the University of Kent. Her research has focused on younger adolescents’ (aged 11-13) interactions with algorithmically curated social media, particularly short-form video platforms (e.g. TikTok, YouTube Shorts). Roxana has now started working as a Child Safety Researcher at ActiveFence, continuing her aspiration for making the internet a safer place for children and young people.

Roxana's research focuses on younger adolescents’ (aged 11-13) interactions with algorithmically curated social media, particularly short-form video platforms (e.g. TikTok, YouTube Shorts). Her findings are currently being prepared for publication.

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