Kildare student presents research at European Parliament
Grace Williams from Kildare presented her social media research to MEPs this week
Kildare student Grace Williams presented her research on social media doomscrolling to MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels this week.
Williams, a student at the National College of Ireland, was among students from 17 European countries hosted by MEP Nina Carberry at the “Posters in Brussels” exhibition.
Her project, “Doomscrolling: More than a bad habit?”, was one of nine Irish projects at the launch, which was opened by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
Carberry, Ireland’s only MEP on the Parliament’s Education, Youth & Sport Committee, praised Grace’s research and described the exhibition as a fantastic opportunity for students from across Europe to share ideas and learn from one another.
Speaking from Brussels, Carberry said: “It was great to see so many Irish projects represented in Brussels this week, including Grace’s research asking whether doomscrolling is more than a bad habit.
“Research matters because it brings fresh ideas and evidence into decisions that affect people’s lives. When students share their work with one another and with policymakers, they learn from different perspectives and bring ideas from our schools and communities into the European debate.
“Projects like this are made possible by Erasmus+, which supported more than 21,000 Irish students last year. I want to see even more students take part and benefit from the opportunities the programme offers”, Carberry added.
The exhibition comes as the European Parliament recently voted to back a historic expansion of Erasmus+, with plans to nearly double its budget to €47.4 billion for 2028–2034.