Buddy Bot aims to help students detox from 'doom-scrolling'
‘Buddy Bot’ helps students detox from social media
A group of ninth graders from Chaminade High School in Mineola, Long Island, are tackling one of the biggest issues facing their generation — social media addiction. Their solution? A clever AI chatbot called "Buddy Bot," built to help teens reduce screen time and improve mental health. The project, part of a digital detox initiative called Media Mindful, earned the students first place in the highly competitive "Medical Marvels" competition. FOX 5’s Jodi Goldberg has the story.
NEW YORK - "Doom scrolling" – the act of mindlessly surfing social media and losing track of time – has become a familiar habit for many, especially teenagers. But for the ninth graders at Chaminade High School, this growing issue has inspired a new and innovative solution.
As student Ty Miranda explains, "It takes up time with your family and friends."
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This growing concern prompted a group of Chaminade High School ninth graders to take action. After experiencing the challenges of excessive screen time themselves, they decided to create something that could help their peers regain control.
"We all experienced first hand these issues where we're on our phone hours upon hours, where we should be doing more productive things," student Andrew Runje Dargento said.
The students have developed an app called "Buddy Bot," designed to help students break the cycle of endless scrolling. The app features an AI-powered chatbot, or "buddy bot," that offers helpful reminders and suggestions to encourage users to step away from the screen.
"It talks to someone. It tries to distract you from social media," Christopher Covelli, a 9th grader, who helped develop the app, added.
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The team’s chatbot has been programmed with over 100 words such as different emotional triggers like feeling "tired," "disappointed," or "anxious." In these moments, the bot offers advice and suggestions.
"Mental health is a huge issue in this era and there's a huge stigma around it – something like this that could easily connect to the school psychologist did not make much of a scary thing to do in a way is really beneficial," Dargento continued.
The concept crowned the students champions in a "Medical Marvels" competition. The $1800 prize money will go toward continued improvement with a goal of testing the app in the school.
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