This invited guest lecture focuses on the application and significance of adopting a critical approach to TEL research and the important role that theory played within a UK Research Council (ESRC/EPSRC) funded project: ‘Inter-Life’. In this project, Activity theory is applied to understand young people’s use of the Internet to develop their own creative practices in support of their navigation of key life transitions. The paper argues for a more critical, robust and integrated use of theory in educational research, particularly in the creative disciplines. Furthermore, I illustrate how theory (in this case, Activity Theory) was used to inform the research design of the Inter-Life project. I contend that Activity Theory also provides researchers with a powerful means by which to approach the analysis of complex activity in educational settings, using the activity system itself as a unit of analysis. In addition, Activity theory takes into account and provides a basis for critiquing the wider socio, political and economic issues and debates that underpin the use of technology in education, about which, I argue, there is presently little critical debate in the literature, particularly within Art and Design Education. I offer some concluding comments on the significance of theory in supporting a more expansive and critical approach to researching Technology Enhanced Learning in challenging times, with particular reference to the domain of Art, Design education.