LSE Department of Media and Communications

06/08/2026

Are we adopting classroom tech faster than we’re studying its impact? 📱🏫

A new review from the Digital Futures for Children centre and 5Rights Foundation examined over 2,100 studies globally and found major gaps in EdTech research—specifically around student wellbeing, privacy, and digital rights. While tech can boost learning when done right, most research only focuses on test scores, not the whole child.

As Professor Sonia Livingstone highlights: "We need research that reflects the realities of classrooms and considers children’s wellbeing, privacy and rights alongside academic outcomes."

💬 How is classroom technology managed in your child's or local school?

Read more 👇

56 research reviews covering more than 2,100 studies from around the world found educational technology can improve learning when used well, but warned that existing research has focused overwhelmingly on academic attainment while paying far less attention to children's wellbeing, motivation, confid...

30/07/2026

🆕 The familiar story of financial feminism says finfluencers and smart investing offer true empowerment. Yet research tells a different story.

In LSE's magazine, Research for the World, Dr Simidele Dosekun and Dr Rachel O'Neill explore the hidden costs of tying feminism to capitalism. 📈

Discover the hidden costs of tying female empowerment to stock market investing, and why collective politics is missing from today's "smart money" movement.

👉 Read more: https://www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/economics/financial-feminism-hidden-costs?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cdsm_rftw_jul26

Feminist “finfluencers” promote investing as empowerment, but new research from LSE warns these narratives risk aligning feminism with capitalism and masking deeper structural inequalities.

30/07/2026

🆕 The familiar story of AI in education says generative EdTech tools are harmless, seamless solutions to modern classroom challenges. Yet research into real-world school deployment tells a very different story.

In our latest blog, Dr Ayça Atabey (Digital Futures for Children centre (DFC) highlights how widely used GenAI tools in schools can undermine children's fundamental rights—from data privacy to protection against commercial exploitation.

🏫 Discover why Scotland’s pioneer child-rights approach sets the national standard, and why policymakers across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland should follow suit to safeguard young learners.

👉 Read more: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2026/07/27/scotland-leads-the-way-on-childrens-rights-and-ai-in-schools-the-rest-of-the-uk-should-follow/

Dr Ayça Atabey explains the findings of her research into use of GenAI in EdTech, which revealed that Scotland's child-rights based approach is leading the way.

23/07/2026

Are social media bans actually working? 📱🛑

According to Professor Sonia Livingstone, blanket bans like Australia's are missing the mark because platforms fail to enforce real age checks—and kids always find a way back to their social circles.

Instead of banning access, the real focus needs to be on:

⚙️ Fixing algorithmic feeds that push harmful content to vulnerable youth

🎛️ Empowering users with actual control over their recommendations

💬 Open family conversations to build healthier digital habits

👇Watch the clip below for a realistic look at the future of digital safety regulation.

👇Find out more about the latest research on this topic from the Digital Futures for Children centre: https://www.digital-futures-for-children.net/

23/07/2026

A crucial new report from Professor Shani Orgad highlights a deeply concerning issue: British Jews are experiencing a sharp decline in trust towards major UK public institutions.

Drawing on research across the country, the study details how the Jewish community feels systematically let down and unprotected by key pillars of British society—affecting their daily lives, wellbeing, and sense of safety.

As Professor Orgad emphasises:
"At this crucial juncture when members of the Jewish community express a profound feeling of being unheard and let down by the pillars of society, listening to their experiences and taking meaningful action is vital for restoring safety, trust, and confidence in the UK."

📖 Read more: https://www.lse.ac.uk/media-and-communications/news/2026/Listening-to-British-Jews

📰 Read the coverage via The Jewish News: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/british-jews-have-lost-trust-in-all-major-uk-institutions-new-study-finds/

Listening to British Jews report by Professor Shani Orgad

22/07/2026

Congratulations to all our graduates!

Yesterday, we saw our Global students and PhD students walk across the stage. Well done everyone, your hard work has paid off! Good luck for everything to come!!

And a special shout out to our Alumn, Mary Rahman, who was the alumni speaker for the ceremony. Thank you for sharing your memories and inspiration!

16/07/2026

"The time has come to build a public service internet." 🌐

Last week, Professor Bart Cammaerts delivered the opening keynote at the conference in Galway.

Speaking on the theme "Has the Momentum for a Public Service Internet Cometh?", Professor Cammaerts discussed the history of public interest interventions in "the" media and in telecommunications. He then unpacked the contemporary push to achieve digital sovereignty from US-based and -owned services and infrastructures. He argued that this momentum and opportunity which is presenting itself should be used to develop a truly alternative model from the US and China, which privileges public values, interests, and concerns, and which defends and strengthens democracy rather than undermining it.

📸 See some highlights from his keynote in Galway last week below!

08/07/2026

The United Nations' Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence has launched a Preliminary Report on AI opportunities, risks and impacts with input from Professor Sonia Livingstone of the LSE Department of Media and Communications.

Professor Livingstone is one of a panel of 40 leading experts assessing how AI is transforming our lives. The Preliminary Report, the first of its kind on artificial intelligence, warns that the development of AI may exacerbate global inequality and proposes a shared framework for how to responsibly develop the technology.

Speaking about the report, Professor Livingstone commented: “While the world rushes forward to innovate with AI across many domains of society, the panel’s work shows mounting evidence of multiple risks, with urgent implications for human and children’s rights across the board.”

Find out more and read the report: https://ow.ly/v31t50ZjhnM

08/07/2026