November 11, 2026
Improving Algorithmic Literacy
Social media algorithms shape what content we see, how often we encounter particular types of content, which combinations of content appear in our feeds and how these patterns develop over time. Our new Researcher of the Month, Dr Lizzy Winstone, describes this as ‘algorithmically structured exposure’.
Understanding social media algorithms and how they work is an important tool for both adults and young people in having some control over the material we see online. Dr Winstone has been leading a large-scale project which has examined how teens understand and experience social media algorithms. Along with her team, she has published various papers and some fantastic free resources for school staff designed to inform algorithmic literacy and social media education.
Summary
To explore how teenagers experience these personalised feeds, Dr Winstone and her colleagues interviewed 27 young people aged 14–19 across the UK, using screenshots of their social media feeds to support detailed discussions of their experiences. Her findings were published earlier in 2026. The research team was particularly interested in what teens were being shown on their social media feeds, how they understood the content they were shown, how it might affect their wellbeing and how much control they felt they have over their online experiences.
Conversations with young people identified seven themes of online content: entertainment, consumerism, identity-related, mental health, news and activism, body image, and AI-generated. Young people in the study described positive experiences of algorithmic personalisation. Their feeds helped them discover new interests, connect with like-minded people and access entertaining and educational content. However, the research also highlighted the ‘double-edged’ nature of different types of content.
Funny, entertaining or relaxing content often brought genuine enjoyment, but simultaneously kept some young people scrolling longer than they intended, leaving them with a sense that they'd been time wasting. Similarly, seeing mental health related content helped some young people feel understood, validated and supported. But, engaging with this type of content often led algorithms to recommend more of the same, creating repetitive and potentially overwhelming feeds.
Dr Winstone also found that the impact of particular content isn't fixed. A young person might respond differently to the same content at different times, depending on how they are feeling and what else is happening in their life. Personality differences and a young person’s developmental stage and age also matter. Participants frequently reflected on earlier social media experiences, identifying younger adolescence as a period when they felt particularly vulnerable to algorithmic influence and impact.
Recommendation algorithms use various signals to predict what users might want to see next, including likes, shares, comments and how long someone spends watching a video. However, engagement doesn't necessarily mean enjoyment. A young person might watch something because they find it upsetting, shocking, confusing or offensive, or simply because they are curious. Young people in the study felt that algorithms frequently interpreted any engagement as interest or enjoyment (which was not always the case), and offered them more of the same.
One of the interesting findings from Dr Winstone's research is that many young people already have a reasonably good understanding of how social media recommendation algorithms work. They know that liking, sharing, commenting on or watching particular videos can influence what appears in their feeds. However, understanding how algorithms work doesn't necessarily mean being able to control them. Many of the young people interviewed described quite sophisticated strategies for trying to shape their online experiences. They talked about deliberately scrolling past content they didn't want to see, using 'not interested' functions where available and actively engaging with content they hoped to see more of. Some had even attempted to reset their feeds completely, either by taking a break from a platform or starting a new account.
Despite these efforts, some young people still found it difficult to change the direction of their feeds and felt that their control was limited. One particular challenge is that young people's interests, identities and needs can change rapidly during adolescence, while recommendation algorithms continue to draw on patterns of previous behaviour. What interested or resonated with a young person at one point in their life might no longer be relevant, helpful or welcome.
These findings highlight both the importance and the limitations of algorithmic literacy. Helping young people understand how recommendation systems work and how they might influence their feeds is an important part of social media education. However, knowledge and practical strategies can only go so far when young people are navigating powerful systems designed primarily to maximise engagement. Dr Winstone argues that responsibility for young people's online wellbeing cannot rest solely with young people and their parents. Social media platforms also need to take greater responsibility for creating safer online environments, through effective content moderation and recommendation systems that place greater emphasis on users' wellbeing, choice and exposure to a diversity of positive content.
Her work also raises important questions about how we teach algorithmic literacy. Dr Winstone's report emphasises that effective education needs to go beyond teaching young people the basic mechanics of recommendation systems and also develop critical thinking, encourage reflection on how online content influences our attitudes and wellbeing, and help young people become more informed and active participants in digital environments. She highlights the value of creative, interactive approaches and argues that algorithmic literacy should be embedded more widely across education, rather than confined to computing or online safety lessons.
Implications
Resources for educators
Early intervention is key. Developing algorithmic literacy shouldn’t be left until after children encounter potentially challenging online experiences. The transition to secondary school can be a particularly important time, and although many platforms have minimum age requirements of 13 and there are forthcoming social media restrictions in the UK and similar legislation in some other countries, we know that many younger children still use them.
Make use of the Mind Your Feed resources. Developed by Dr Winstone and her team, these free educational resources are designed to help young people understand how social media recommendation algorithms work and think more critically about the content they encounter. They also aim to help young people have meaningful conversations about social media algorithms with the adults around them. They have been co-produced with young people, and feature artwork inspired by screenshots of their social media feeds, quotes from research interviews and practical strategies drawn from their experiences. The resources include eight short, discussion-based sessions covering topics such as algorithms, mental health, body image, identity, news, advertising and AI. Each session can either be delivered in short 15 minute bursts or extended into a full lesson. Teachers can download slides, guidance and practical tips for managing recommendations.
Insights for parents and educators
Remember that social media can be a positive part of young people's lives. Try not to approach conversations with the assumption that social media is harmful. Young people often gain genuine enjoyment, entertainment and social connection from their online experiences. Acknowledging these benefits can help make conversations more balanced and constructive.
Aim for curious, non-judgemental conversations. Rather than focusing on the amount of time they are spending on their devices, invite conversation around what your child has been watching and how it’s making them feel. What are they enjoying? Is there anything they’d like to see less of?
Explore how their social media feeds change over time. Encourage young people to notice patterns in the content they are recommended. For example, have they noticed that watching one type of video leads to more of the same appearing? Are there particular topics or themes that seem to crop up repeatedly?
Explore the tools available to manage recommendations. Look together at the settings and features that social media platforms provide to help users influence what appears in their feeds. Discuss how these might be useful, whilst recognising that young people don't have complete control over what they are shown.
Make it safe for young people to talk about upsetting online experiences. Young people may be less willing to share difficult experiences if they worry that doing so will result in their phone being taken away. Try to create an environment where they feel comfortable discussing both positive and negative experiences, knowing that they will be listened to rather than immediately judged or punished.
For young people who are already struggling, it can be particularly helpful to explore how recommendation algorithms might influence the mental health-related content they encounter. Even when this content initially feels supportive or reassuring, repeated exposure may not always be helpful. Dr Winstone found that young people valued practical advice from parents, teachers and clinicians about ways to disengage from particular types of content or change the direction of their feeds, particularly when recovering from difficult experiences.
Remember that these are issues that affect adults too. We tend to focus on young people’s digital habits, but considering how our own feeds make us feel can be a good way into conversation. If you use social media, try sharing observations about your own feed, the content you are recommended and how it sometimes makes you feel. This can help conversations feel like a shared exploration, rather than an interrogation of young people's online habits.
Invest in offline experiences. Social media can offer genuine enjoyment, connection and relaxation, but personalised feeds can also make it difficult to disengage. Helping young people access enjoyable activities, friendships and opportunities away from screens can support a healthy balance, without suggesting that their online interests are inherently problematic.
Dr Lizzy Winstone
Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol's Centre for Public Health
Dr Lizzy Winstone is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol's Centre for Public Health. Her research explores how social media, particularly the content young people encounter and the algorithms that shape their feeds, influences adolescent mental health and wellbeing. She's also a Churchill Fellow and the creator of Mind Your Feed, a brilliant free educational resource supporting social media and algorithmic literacy in secondary schools.
Dr Lizzy Winstone
Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol's Centre for Public Health
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