Xinghua WANG, a Year 4 Cinema and Television Programme (CTV) student from Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University(BNBU), has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Student Research Symposium 2025. Her graduation project ‘Learning with Influencers: The Impact of Xiaohongshu (RED) Content Creators on University Students' Anxiety, was supervised by Dr. Fei FAN, Assistant Professor of CTV programme.

The symposium, held on May 27, 2025, at HKBU, was funded by the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning (CHTL) and organised by the Community of Practice (CoP) on research-informed teaching and learning. Under the theme "The Research-Driven Classroom: Transforming Knowledge and Learning for Tomorrow," the event provided a platform for students to present research findings and exchange academic ideas. A total of 12 papers were selected for the oral presentation sessions, and Wang Xinghua's research received the top honour.

(Caption for photo) Professor Kara CHAN (left), Associate Dean of the HKBU School of Communication and CoP Leader, presents the certificate to Xinghua WANG (right). Photograph by Ho Shing Chi.

Wang's research focuses on mental health issues among university students in the era of social media. Using empirical methods, it explores the mechanisms through which educational content created by influencers on Xiaohongshu (RED) affects users' anxiety levels. The study offers new perspectives for understanding the relationship between new media content and youth mental health.