Long Island students design ‘buddy bot’ that offers surprising twist in battle to make social media safer for kids

A group of ninth graders from Long Island recently won a prestigious competition focused on reducing the negative impact of social media on teenagers. The contest, organized by Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, challenged over 180 students from Long Island and New York City to come up with innovative solutions to help their peers navigate social media in a healthier way.

The winning team from Chaminade High School designed a unique AI program called the “buddy bot” to assist with digital detoxing. The team members, including Andrew Runje Dargento, realized the harmful effects of excessive screen time on their own lives and wanted to create a tool that could help them and their peers take a break from social media.

The “buddy bot” is an AI chatbot that offers supportive messages and encourages users to step away from their screens. It was developed by Christopher Covelli, the team’s tech-savvy member, who coded the program in just a week. The chatbot can identify over 400 keywords and provide tailored responses to help users combat social media stress.

The team conducted a survey of 350 Chaminade students and found that 60% reported negative impacts on their sleep schedules and mental health due to social media use. Armed with this data, the students not only created the “buddy bot” but also wrote a paper on the effects of social media on youth.

In addition to the chatbot, the team plans to develop a companion app called “Media Mindful” that will incentivize users to limit their screen time. The app will offer rewards for reducing social media usage, with the hope of engaging students in a positive way without causing harm.

The team intends to use the prize money they won to bring the “Media Mindful” app to life and implement it at their school. They hope to create a system of incentives, such as pizza parties for classes with the lowest screen time, to encourage healthy digital habits among their peers.

Since working on their project, the team members have seen positive changes in their own lives. Ty Miranda has seen an improvement in his grades, Andrew Runje Dargento has received less criticism from his parents about screen time, and Mateo Solis has noticed increased energy and happiness since cutting back on social media.

Overall, the Chaminade High School students have successfully tackled the issue of excessive social media use among teenagers and are paving the way for a healthier relationship with technology. Their innovative approach to digital detoxing serves as a valuable lesson for young people everywhere.