How Platforms Should Build AI Chatbots to Prioritize Youth Safety

By Sameer Hinduja
January 14, 2025

The introduction and adoption of AI chatbots across multiple domains has ushered in many enjoyable and educational possibilities. These conversational agents – accessible via stand-alone apps or built into existing popular social media platforms – can offer companionship and support without the pressures or complications of real-world interactions. They can also provide youth with a safe space for self-expression and exploration, where questions can be posed and sentiments expressed presumably without fear of judgment, shame, or criticism. Furthermore, they can serve as valuable educational tools, helping young users develop communication techniques, access information, and learn skills that can benefit them in school, social situations, and extracurriculars. However, the technology is now very capable of blurring the distinction between human and AI, thereby introducing specific problems that must be considered and accounted for.

Read more:
https://cyberbullying.org/ai-chatbots-youth-safety

01:43 / 06:38 Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt on how technology is reshaping society

 

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Anxious Generation," joins "CBS Mornings Plus" to explain how modern technology and life online are contributing to a "great re-wiring" in society and what it means for the future.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/social-psychologist-jonathan-haidt-on-how-technology-is-reshaping-society/

Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Becky Kennedy in Conversation with Stephanie Ruhle: The Anxious Generation

 Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Becky Kennedy in Conversation with Stephanie Ruhle: The Anxious Generation

A Look at State Efforts to Ban Cellphones in Schools and Implications for Youth Mental Health

A Look at State Efforts to Ban Cellphones in Schools and Implications for Youth Mental Health | KFF 

Cellphone bans began decades ago amid concerns about drug deals among students via cellphones or pager devices, and have fluctuated since. In 2009, 91% of public schools prohibited cellphone use, which fell to 66% in 2015 before rising again to 76% in 2021. Cellphone bans are now being considered at the state level in light of growing student academic and mental health concerns that are associated with excessive use of smartphones.

Read more:

https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/a-look-at-state-efforts-to-ban-cellphones-in-schools-and-implications-for-youth-mental-health/

Kindness Lesson

Kindness Lesson

@humankind Replying to @Kristy Phillips The lesson on kindness we ALL needed to hear. #humankind #teachers #kindness #kind #teachersoftiktok @Ms. Ringold - Teacher ♬ Wings - BLVKSHP

Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Identification, Prevention, and Response

Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Identification, Prevention, and Response 

UPDATED for 2024! This detailed guide is a nine-page summary – filled with as much useful information as possible – to equip educators, parents, and other youth-serving adults to spot cyberbullying, respond to it appropriately and meaningfully, and to prevent its future occurrence among those they care for. If you only have time to read one fact sheet from the Cyberbullying Research Center to get up-to-speed about the problem and what you can do, read this one.

https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-fact-sheet-identification-prevention-and-response

Digital Footprint lesson for Elementary or Middle School

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGS1Fxmkws/05V-OQvq68B7dcyqFX_PJg/view