Reflect

Well, at Tooled Up, we’ve been sharing these kinds of fresh insights monthly since February 2021 through our Researcher of the Month feature. It’s been quite a privilege to spotlight over 50 researchers from across the globe - and counting; people who dedicate their careers to understanding children, families, learning, behaviour and wellbeing. This particular aspect of our work allows us to hone in closely on specific findings. Some of our features focus on research that is, on the surface at least, quite niche, and which in all honesty sometimes goes far beyond my comfort zone.

For example, one particularly novel study that caught my attention recently was led by developmental cognitive neuroscientists, Professors Saloni Krishnan and Pablo Ripollés. Their work sits at the fascinating intersection of language and reward systems in the brain and they explored what motivates teenagers to learn new words. Using a clever reading task that allowed participants (aged 10–18) to learn new words from sentence context, they found that adolescents experienced intrinsic reward - that is, they reported feeling good - when they successfully figured out the meaning of new words. What’s more, this “reward” feeling didn’t require any external praise or prizes. The act of learning itself was satisfying.

So why might we want to bring this rather specific finding to your attention? Well, it’s a reminder that the teenage brain is wired for exploration and reward-seeking - and that language learning can tap into those natural drives if presented in the right way. In fact, Professors Krishnan and Ripollés hope that their findings will “aid the development of practical strategies to drive engagement with language and reading, optimising learning experiences in childhood". This insight into intrinsic reward challenges us to think differently about how we support children’s and teens’ learning, especially during adolescence. It’s easy to assume teens need constant incentivising, but this work reminds us that curiosity and mastery can be their own rewards - especially when learning is pitched at the right level and feels relevant.

Motivate

At Tooled Up, we always strive to highlight rigorous, thought-provoking research that deepens our understanding of children’s lives. These insights aren’t just interesting, they’re actionable.

Take our latest feature, for instance, where Dr Kathryn Hesketh and Professor Helen Dodd analysed data from the first British Preschool Children’s Play Survey. One standout finding? Even at two years of age, girls are playing outside significantly less than boys. It’s an early sign of gendered patterns that can lead to long-term disparities in physical activity. That’s something we can and should challenge.

Sometimes, the evidence helps to debunk common misconceptions. The work of Professor Jo Van Herwegen highlights the persistence of deeply embedded neuromyths - false beliefs about neurodevelopmental conditions, both within the wider public and in many classrooms. These can quietly shape practice in ways that limit children’s potential. Her research shows that targeted training and better educational resources are urgently needed to combat this and ensure more inclusive and effective teaching, something that we are proud to contribute to at Tooled Up.

Similarly, the evidence can often help us to rethink popular narratives or dampen media-fuelled fears. Social media is frequently blamed for young people’s declining mental health and has famously been named as culprit for the development of an ‘anxious generation’. But Dr Margarita Panayiotoiu’s large-scale and very clever 'panel network analysis' study explored associations between social media use, mental health symptoms and social systems, using nationally representative data from over 12,000 UK-based young people. She found social media to be one of the least influential factors. Things like family support, concentration difficulties, and life satisfaction had a greater impact. That’s a powerful reminder to avoid simplistic explanations and focus on family life and wellbeing more broadly.

Sometimes, it reminds us that we can’t always rely on easy fixes. Dr Mariya Stoilova’s rapid evidence review of the efficacy of parental controls found that whilst these tools are generally marketed to parents as effective and positive, their success is somewhat mixed and they should not be considered a ‘silver bullet’ which we can simply apply to our children’s devices to guarantee online safety. She provided a potent reminder that the best outcomes for children occur when parental controls form only one facet of our approach to technology within family life and where open communication and respectful negotiation are key. Food for thought for us all.

What about motivation? Professor David Putwain’s study explores the impact of fear appeals - messages warning students about the consequences of failure. While some students may interpret these messages as a challenge and rise to it, others experience them as threats, leading to anxiety and disengagement. The takeaway? Motivation is personal. Depending on the child, their coping skills, and the context in which it's delivered, the same message can inspire or shut down. It’s a great reminder that young people thrive not under pressure, fear or assumption, but when their individual strengths, needs and capacities are respected and understood.

One of my favourite ever Researchers of the Month has been Dr Mimi Tatlow-Golden, who not only has a brilliant name, but has produced compelling research on the fundamental role of fun in the development of children’s sense of self and self-esteem. Whilst adults often see fun as a nice ‘extra’, something that should be had in sanctioned doses and certainly not at the wrong times or in the wrong places, her work reminds us that it’s far from frivolous, it’s foundational.

Everyday, we are flooded with information and opinion. Research like this helps us stay grounded. It encourages critical thinking over knee-jerk reaction, deliberate action over alarm, and guides us away from looking for simple answers to complex issues.

Support

That’s why we do the heavy lifting for you at Tooled Up. We find the researchers, digest the studies and spotlight findings that matter - insights that are both fascinating and useful. The result? You gain knowledge that’s not only trustworthy and interesting, but which is also actionable, whether you're parenting, teaching or supporting children in some other capacity.

If something in this week’s Wednesday Wisdom has sparked your curiosity, perhaps a surprising statistic, a fresh take on teen motivation, or a rethink on the real drivers of wellbeing, why not follow the thread? Explore one of our Researcher of the Month articles, dig into a study we’ve summarised, or try a strategy grounded in solid evidence. It’s not just the ones I’ve mentioned here. You can find out more about a wide range of topics, ranging from menstrual education to the impact of gaming on young people’s wellbeing, from careers education to incels on TikTok, or sibling bullying. As we frequently say at Tooled Up, this research isn’t just for academics. It’s for anyone who wants to understand children more deeply and support them more effectively. Are you a Tooled Up parent who has benefited from one of our evidence-based tips? If so, we would love to hear from you and we’ll make sure that we pass your message on to the researchers behind it.

Researcher of the Month doesn’t end here. In coming months, we’ll be chatting with Dr Victoria Goodyear about how we need to move beyond bans when it comes to young people’s use of smartphones and social media, and to Roxana Pomplun, who is just completing her NIHR funded PhD on adolescents' interactions with algorithmically curated social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

We’re always on the lookout for new, interesting and robust research. Perhaps you are a researcher who focuses on issues such as wellbeing, mental health, digital life, learning, aspiration and family relationships? Maybe you’d like to make research findings more accessible to those working with children and young people every day? If so, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!