Holly Powell-Jones
Member of the GEC Circle of Influence
Bio:
Dr. Holly Powell-Jones is an experienced educator, researcher, and consultant specialising in the intersection of digital safety, media law, and youth development. With over a decade of expertise, she works to equip schools, educators, parents, and young people with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.
As the founder of Online Media Law UK, Holly provides cutting-edge training and resources on the legal and ethical risks of online communication, social media, and digital content. Her expertise spans a wide range of topics including cyberbullying, online grooming, digital consent, image-based abuse, misinformation, and legislation relating to digital criminal offences.
Holly holds a PhD in Youth Understandings of Risk & Responsibility Online from City, University of London, where her research focused on how young people perceive online risks and the factors influencing their decisions in digital spaces. She has worked with thousands of young people in schools, as well as educators, parents, and youth workers, providing practical, evidence-based solutions to help them stay safe online.
In addition to her work with schools, Holly regularly speaks at conferences and contributes to media discussions on online safety and youth well-being, including for outlets such as the BBC, Channel 5 News, and TES Magazine.
Holly is passionate about creating a safer digital world for young people and empowering them to make informed, responsible decisions online. She is also a proud recipient of the Violent Crime Prevention Board Award for her contributions to online safety education.
Areas of specialism:
Educator, researcher, and consultant specialising in the intersection of digital safety, media law, and youth development
Social channels:
Useful links:
Holly regularly appears as a guest expert in the media discussing young people, digital risks, law, crime and ethics.
See Media experience for a full list of interviews, clips and media showreels.
Online and Legal: Why children need digital education (Absolutely Education feature - guest interview/contributor)
How can I keep my child safe on social media? (Family Matters, podcast interview)
No Roles For Trolls: Dr Holly Powell-Jones on the legal and ethical aspect of online abuse (Highland News interview)
An Inclusive Approach to Inclusive eSafety for Every Student: Recognising Red Flags (GEC Blow contributor)
How schools can assess online safeguarding risks (article for Tes Magazine)
You’re a teacher in a TikTok video. What should you do next? (article for Tes Magazine)
How do young people interpret and construct risk in an online context? (City St Georges - Academic thesis)
Online abuse: teenagers might not report it because they often don’t see it as a problem (TheConversation.com blog)
"It was only a bit of fun" - Cyberbullying and Online Harms (book chapter)
Bullying and Social Media (book chapter)
Defamation, libel or legal? What you need to know before sharing your story on social media (contributor)
7 practical ways to teach students about piracy (contributor, Tes Magazine)
Safe2Net - Online Media Law interview (podcast guest)
GEC Circle Contributions: Strengthening the GEC Framework:
Dr Holly Powell-Jones is a founding GEC Circle expert, renowned for her expertise in online media law and safeguarding. She has been a key contributor to GEC Takeover Days, helping students navigate social media safely and responsibly through engaging workshops. Holly is now collaborating with us on an exciting blog series exploring AI and social media—stay tuned for her invaluable insights!
