Get a Grip - Evidence-Based Conversations for Parents and Educators

Why do we put things off, even when we know that doing so will make life more stressful? And how can we help young people overcome procrastination without resorting to nagging, criticism or guilt? Dr Itamar Shatz, author of new book Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop explores the psychology of procrastination, and challenges some common assumptions. He explains why procrastination can be so difficult to overcome, how emotions influence our ability to get started and why different strategies work for different people. Drawing on research and practical examples, he offers plenty of useful techniques which can help anyone who has ever found themselves putting something off!

New research from Dr Holly Bear and colleagues has found that one in three young people responding to a large survey had encountered self-harm content online in the previous month, with most not actively looking for it. In this interview, Dr Bear explores how this content reaches young people, what the findings reveal about passive and active exposure, and why understanding how young people encounter self-harm content matters. She offers practical advice for parents and educators on starting supportive conversations, responding calmly if a young person has seen this content, and helping young people navigate their online lives safely.Dr Holly Bear is a researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. She studies young people's mental health and the online worlds they grow up in, from social media to AI chatbots and how young people look for support online.

Billy Waters was a Black sailor, disabled veteran and celebrated street performer in Regency London, but his remarkable story has largely disappeared from popular history. In this interview, our Researchers of the Month, Professor Mary Shannon, Dr Ben Marsh and PhD student Himan Heidari, discuss their innovative new, free teaching resources and explore how Billy's life can open up rich classroom conversations about Black British history, identity, disability, belonging and representation.

In this wide-ranging interview, Professor Nick Haslam explores ‘concept creep’, mental health awareness and the risks of over-pathologising everyday experiences. He considers why younger people may be more likely to self-diagnose and how we might promote mental health literacy without encouraging young people to view ordinary distress through a clinical lens. He also touches on what this might mean for resilience, empathy and our sense of belonging, and reflects on the challenges facing young people as they transition to university.

AI-generated sexual deepfakes are an emerging challenge for schools, raising complex questions around safeguarding, sexual violence, consent, digital ethics and the law. Our latest Researcher of the Month article, Professor Tanya Horeck discusses her recent research with UK schools and young people, exploring what they understand about deepfake sexual abuse and where significant gaps remain. She offers practical advice on prevention and response, from embedding the topic within wider RSHE and challenging misogyny to supporting victims, engaging boys constructively and empowering pupils as active bystanders. She also considers how parents and teachers can keep conversations about AI, digital intimacy and ethical online behaviour open as the technology continues to evolve.A clarification from Professor Horeck: In our discussion of LGBTQ+ young people towards the end of this interview, Professor Horeck referred to research showing higher rates of image-based sexual abuse among gender- and sexuality-diverse young people, as well as research indicating higher levels of reporting of image-based sexual abuse among LGBTQ+ communities. Evidence specifically examining LGBTQ+ young people's experiences of AI-facilitated sexual abuse is still emerging, and we do not currently know whether these young people are at greater risk of this particular form of abuse.