Katie Thomas holds workshop for teen learners on online financial harms

22 June 2026

IDSB member Katie Thomas, a PhD researcher at the University of Bath, has delivered a second workshop with learners at Bath College, helping young people develop a greater understanding of online financial harms and digital security challenges.

The latest workshop built on a successful session delivered by Katie as part of Bath Digital Festival in May. Working alongside senior industry representatives from FinTech West and Bath Building Society, students were challenged to identify an online financial harm, design a mobile solution to address it, and pitch their ideas to an expert panel.

Katie recently returned to Bath College to work with T Level Digital learners, exploring how young people perceive online financial risks and where current banking technologies may not fully meet their needs.

The workshops form part of Katie's wider research into online financial harms and demonstrate how behavioural research can be translated into engaging, real-world learning experiences.

The collaboration between the University of Bath, Bath College and industry partners that also included SETsquared and Science Scope Ltd, highlights the value of connecting research, education and practice to address emerging challenges in the digital world.