Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology
Professor Przybylski is a psychologist who studies how online social media and video games platforms influence users’ mental health. His research focuses on how data from these platforms can inform regulation, policymaking, and expert advice.
Our daily lives unfold in digital spaces – scrolling, streaming, gaming, posting. These experiences don’t just reflect our behaviour; they actively shape how we think, feel, and relate to others.
What does constant connectivity mean for attention, emotion, and identity, especially for young people? How do algorithm-driven platforms affect our sense of agency and belonging? And how can we navigate the psychological effects of digital life in a way that supports, rather than undermines, well-being?
There is a need for transparent, replicable, and scientifically rigorous research that helps us to understand both the potential risks and opportunities these technologies present, particularly for vulnerable populations like children and young people, to ensure that their use enhances well-being, rather than diminishing it.
The Mind and Emerging Technologies Lab (METL) explores how digital and emerging technologies—such as social media, video games, and artificial intelligence—affect human behaviour, mental health, and overall well-being. Our mission is to produce rigorous, transparent, and reproducible research that drives scientific progress, informs policy, guides industry practices, and deepens public understanding of the profound ways technology shapes our lives.
METL contributes to academic scholarship through peer-reviewed publications while also creating policy briefs and public engagement activities that foster a scientifically-grounded dialogue about emerging technologies and mental health. Whether advising governments, supporting ethical tech design, or fostering a global conversation about digital well-being, METL is committed to ensuring that emerging technologies serve human well-being, rather than hindering it.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Karen is a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the research programme on 'Adolescent Well-Being in the Digital Age' with Prof. Andrew Przybylski.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Nick Ballou is a postdoc researching how video games affect mental health both for better and for worse, and how to make psychological research on games more trustworthy.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Bridging psychology and neuroimaging of memory with a flair for open science. Expertise in R, Python and fMRI analysis.
We’re developing an open source method of collecting behavioural video game data, to allow for rigorous science without relying on direct collaboration with industry.
This project will collect and share detailed behavioural game data donated by players to help us understand how the quality and quantity of online play shapes human motivation and mental health.
This project will capitalize on ESRC data resources to build a more nuanced and transparent empirical understanding of the impacts of digital technologies on young people.
