DFC26 keynote: Professor Amy Orben
Digital Footprints Conference Announcement
SDR UK is delighted to announce that leading adolescent mental health and digital technology researcher Professor Amy Orben will deliver our keynote address on day one of this year’s Digital Footprints Conference in York, 19–21 May 2026.
Professor Orben is Co-Chair of the Social Platforms Data Access Taskforce, Group Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, and Fellow of St John’s College, University of Cambridge.
Her keynote, entitled Locked Out: reclaiming data access in the digital age, will draw on Professor Orben’s internationally recognised research into the links between social media and adolescent mental health, and her extensive engagement with governments and policymakers.
Locked out: reclaiming data access in the digital age
Digital technologies are reshaping society faster than we can study them. Researchers face mounting pressure to produce evidence that can inform policy and practice, yet they are often locked out of the very data needed to understand the effects. Professor Orben will outline the fundamental challenges of studying rapidly evolving technologies. Her keynote will make the case for why reclaiming data access is not just a technical or regulatory challenge, but a public interest imperative, and how the research community itself can be part of the solution.
We look forward to seeing you in York for what promises to be a fantastic three days.
Joe Cuddeford, Director, Smart Data Research UK
“We are so pleased Smart Data Research UK is once again supporting the Digital Footprints Conference. As the national organisation championing smart data research for public good, they share our vision to grow a community of digital footprint researchers, who will present on some of the most exciting research in the field in York in May.”
About Professor Amy Orben
Professor Orben co-chairs the Social Platforms Data Access Taskforce, which champions responsible, ethical, and secure access to data from a wide range of online social platforms.
She directs an internationally renowned research programme investigating the relationship between mental health and digital technology use in adolescence. Her work is supported by leading national and international funders, charities and foundations.
A trusted voice in public policy, she holds appointments on the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology College of Experts and the British Academy Public Policy Committee, and advises governments, health officials and public servants around the world.
She is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the Medical Research Council Early Career Impact Prize (2022), the British Neuroscience Association Researcher Credibility Prize (2021), and the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Mission Award (2020).The Digital Footprints Conference is an innovative forum dedicated to communicating the vast potential of novel digital data for public good.
About the Digital Footprints Conference 2026
Now in its fourth year, the Digital Footprints Conference is an innovative forum dedicated to exploring the vast potential of novel digital data for public good. This year the conference expands to three full days, taking place 19–21 May 2026 at the University of York.
Smart Data Research UK will lead day one of the conference, showcasing how smart data is driving innovation across health and wellbeing, digital society, sustainability, productivity and prosperity. Days two and three will feature the academic programme run by the International Society for the Study of Digital Footprints, bringing together academics, policymakers, government representatives, and industry to discuss the potential of digital data for public good.
Find out more
Discover more and register. Early bird tickets will end on 31 March 2026. Get tickets now.
