Media Psychology Lab

Great news from the Media Psychology Lab! 🎉
Femke Konings was elected Secretary of ICA’s Mass Communication Division, and Lise-Marie Nassen of the Mobile Communication Division.
Ellen Van Houtven joined NeFCA’s Media Psychology Division as PhD Rep, and Ines Boeckxstaens the Young Scholars Network. 👏

We had the honor of hosting Prof. Erica Scharrer from the @umassamherst.bsky.social! During her visit, she delivered inspiring lectures for our Master’s students and research department on 'Sephora Kids', social media, aging anxiety, and skincare consumer behavior, sparking interesting discussions

Our postdoctoral researcher @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social won 3rd place at the One Health Day Art & Photography Competition by #OneHealthInstitution for her poem–collage The Object.
The piece reflects on how screens & social media connect and distance us from ourselves, others, and our environments.

We were delighted to host Alfredo Zarco Alpuente (University of Valencia) for a research stay! Hosted by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social, he and @jasminarosic.bsky.social examined the views of parents, teachers, and coaches on young athletes' digital well-being. Best of luck with your PhD, Alfredo!

ERC Workshop on data access under the Digital Services Act (DSA) Article 40 The Digital Services Act (DSA) is an European legislation that specifies a set of rules to make the digital space safer and more trustworthy for users.

@lauravandenbosch.bsky.social has been taking part in an @erc.europa.eu pilot project with a select group of grantees on data access for research under the Digital Services Act. On 22 October, the ERC will host an event to share insights from this project.👀Interested? erc.europa.eu/news-events/...

De realiteit achter positieve digitale ervaringen: ja, tieners kunnen online floreren—maar niet allemaal en niet even sterk

To what extent and which adolescents experience positive digital experiences? In a recent KU Leuven Child and Youth Institute blog post, @jasminarosic.bsky.social and @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social explore this question.
🔗 Read more: www.kuleuven.be/child-youth/...

Our PhD student @margotlissens.bsky.social returned from a research stay with @desireeschmuck.bsky.social at the @vmci-univie.bsky.social. She worked on an ongoing project and participated in the symposium “How Digital Interventions Affect Political Attitudes and Knowledge among Young Citizens”.

🎓Congratulations to @jasminarosic.bsky.social for defending her PhD: “Growing up in a digital world: Understanding the perceived positive experiences of digital media use among (disadvantaged) adolescents” supervised by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social & Bojana Lobe, and funded by @erc.europa.eu.

🎓Last Monday, @gonzalezanaelle.bsky.social successfully defended her PhD dissertation “Politics Undercover: Understanding the role of social media personalities in adolescents’ development of the political self,” supervised by @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social and funded by @erc.europa.eu👏Congrats!

We attended the @digisoc.bsky.social International Conference for an Inclusive Digital Society in Leuven.👏@robynvanherle.bsky.social (co-)presented 2 mHealth studies, 1 with @svestkova-ady.bsky.social, @irtis.bsky.social. @luca-carbone.bsky.social presented on meritocratic masculinities in music.

Last week @ines-b.bsky.social & @laraschreurs.bsky.social took part in the 14th Media Psych Conference in Duisburg. Ines presented their study on parental mediation of children’s digital media and participated in the pre-conference doctoral workshop. Thanks to the organizers for the inspiring days!

Meer dan een swipe: hoe datingapps het zelfbeeld en welzijn van jongeren beïnvloeden | SWAY Mobiele dating apps zoals Tinder en Bumble zijn niet meer weg te denken uit het liefdesleven van jongvolwassenen. Maar hoe beïnvloeden deze apps de manier waarop jongeren zichzelf presenteren, relatie...

In a recent SWAY (Social Sciences for Society) blog, @femkekonings.bsky.social, @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social, & Sindy Sumter unpack how mobile dating apps shape young adults’ self-image, relationships, and well-being.
👉 soc.kuleuven.be/sway/verhale...

Yesterday, our Lab joined Eetexpert’s Kennisdag on youth body satisfaction. @lauravandenbosch.bsky.social shared new findings on social media and body perception, while @nelejanssens.bsky.social & @laurededecker.bsky.social presented media parenting practices. Thanks, Eetexpert for an inspiring day!

✨ We’re wrapping up our writing retreat—reflecting on our work from the past year and recharging with fresh ideas. Feeling inspired and ready to the new academic year ahead!

📺 Prof. @kathbeullens.bsky.social (KU Leuven) in De Afspraak over het #smartphoneverbod in het onderwijs.
Hoe vullen scholen dit in? Hoe controleer je naleving? En: helpt het écht tegen schermverslaving?
👉 Herbekijk via VRT Max: www.vrt.be/vrtmax/a-z/d...

🎉Great news from our team: our PhD student Esmée Mooren has received the University Study Prize from Radboud University Nijmegen for her master’s thesis “They have made me prouder”: A generational perspective on the collective histories and future of lesbian representation.
www.ru.nl/en/about-us/...

Overview of publications from Media Psychology Lab

🌞 Here’s a look back at the research our team and valued collaborators published during summer 2025.

🌐📱 How is digital media shaping the mental health of young Europeans? #EUfunded researchers are uncovering the hidden impact of extensive online activity on teens’ wellbeing, sense of identity and so... 🌐📱 How is digital media shaping the mental health of young Europeans? #EUfunded researchers are uncovering the hidden impact of extensive online activity on teens’ wellbeing, sense of identity and...

Our research from the MIMIc project, funded by the @erc.europa.eu, has been featured in HORIZON: the EU Research & Innovation magazine!
📰 Read the full article:
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-m...
🎥 Watch the video feature: www.facebook.com/horizon.maga...

🧠✨ New from the Media Psychology Lab:

Research on adolescents, social media, influencers, digital well-being & more — new publications from May–June 2025! Find out more: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/med...

Doctor with a Green Voice: Dr. Dekoninck successfully defended her PhD!🎓

We are thrilled to announce that @heleendekoninck.bsky.social from our lab has successfully defended her PhD in July!

Read more: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/dr-...

Two major projects from the Media Psychology Lab are coming to an end: MIMIc Project and #SmokeFree Project. On October 25, we will organize a study day in Leuven to share insights and practical tools from the projects. Join us! Participation is free, but registration is required.

Some takeaways from our MIMIc project! www.projectmimic.eu

📍 Proud of our strong presence at #ICA2025 in Denver!

Our lab members presented research on mobile media, identity, digital well-being, political influencers & more.

👏 Congrats to all presenters!
📄 Full overview: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/ica-2025...

PhD researchers from our lab were recognized with Top Paper Awards at #ICA2025!

🔹 @elienbeelen.bsky.social – Trigger warnings & media effects
🔹 @margotlissens.bsky.social – Gen Z news consumption
🔹 @darianharff.bsky.social – Trust in political influencers

See more: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/phd...

Postdocs in the spotlight at #ICA2025

🔹 @luca-carbone.bsky.social won the Top Dissertation Award (CAM Division) for their work on success narratives in music.

🔹 @femkekonings.bsky.social received the Top Poster Award for her study on sexualized self-presentation on dating apps.

Congrats to both!

We are proud to share that Prof. @kathbeullens.bsky.social received the Senior Scholar Award from ICA’s Children, Adolescents, and Media Division!

Honored for her impactful research, leadership, and dedication to mentorship.

A well-deserved recognition!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to represent the @mediapsychologylab.bsky.social at the SSH Research Day of @kuleuven.bsky.social on 'AI in and for Humanities and Social Sciences' with a poster on two research projects within the lab.

We proudly share that Professor @laraschreurs.bsky.social has received the 2025 KU Leuven Research Council Prize for the Humanities & Social Sciences!🏆 This award recognizes her theoretical and empirical work and community-driven interventions to empower adolescents in their social media literacy

New season, new publications! 🌸 Here's what our research group has published in March and April 2025: soc.kuleuven.be/smc/news/med...

@svestkova-ady.bsky.social finished her 3-month stay from @irtis.bsky.social. She worked on a longitudinal study on adolescent mHealth app use & wellbeing with @kathbeullens.bsky.social &@robynvanherle.bsky.social and led a seminar on how we navigate health online. Excited for future collaborations!