Mind Your Feed helps young people aged 13 and over start meaningful conversations about social media algorithms with the adults around them. Built around advice, stories and artwork created by young people it brings pupils, teachers and families together to explore how algorithms shape what we see, and how to stay well online.
All the artwork appearing next to quotes has been produced by young artists. The images are versions of real TikTok and Instagram screenshots shared by young people who took part in the research.
Mind Your Feed is split into 8 categories, with examples and reflection questions to help you think through how the algorithm might affect you. Explore the themes that are of most interest to you, and work through the reflection questions alone, with classmates, or with an adult. You can also download and complete your own 'Algorithm Survival Guide' to keep and look at whenever you need it.
*CONTENT WARNING - This resource includes references to potentially distressing topics, including eating disorders and self-harm. If something online worries you, speak to a trusted adult/school safeguarding lead. If you feel unsafe, seek urgent help
Mind Your Feed is based on research from the NIHR School for Public Health Research about how social media algorithms affect young people. An algorithm is basically a set of rules that decides what shows up in your feed*.
It looks at things like what you like, watch, share, or comment on, and then uses that to guess what you might want to see next.
Sometimes this can be helpful — it can show you things you’re interested in. But it can also mean you see more and more of the same kind of content, which isn’t always great for your mood or mental health.
You’ll see the navigation bar at the bottom of each topic page. Use it to move between sections and explore the different topics.
