In an effort to prevent cyberbullying, 13 year old Trisha Prabhu submitted her project to the 2014 Google Science Fair. The Rethink project aims to address online bullying, which 50% of adolescents have experienced and 10 to 20% experience on a regular basis. Using her science and technology skills, Prabhu wanted to get to the source of the problem.
To prevent cyberbullying Prabhu created an alert system that encouraged youth internet users to rethink their mean or hurtful comments before posting them online. She developed two forms of software to measure reactions, one as a baseline and one to measure behaviour with the alert mechanism. She found 93% chose to reassess their comments with this system in place. With such positive results, Prabhu went on to create a mobile and web platform.
Troll-Deterring Alert Mechanisms
Trisha Prabhu's Rethink Project Aims to Prevent Cyberbullying
Trend Themes
1. Cyberbullying Prevention - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced algorithms and AI systems to detect and automatically block cyberbullying in real-time.
2. Behavioral Alert Systems - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design and implement alert mechanisms that encourage users to think twice before posting potentially harmful or offensive content on social media platforms.
3. Youth Empowerment Platforms - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create online platforms that empower young internet users to actively combat cyberbullying through education, support, and positive engagement.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop and implement robust safety features and algorithms to proactively address cyberbullying on social media platforms.
2. Artificial Intelligence - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Harness advanced AI technologies to build intelligent systems capable of identifying and mitigating cyberbullying across various digital platforms.
3. Education Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create interactive educational tools and platforms that teach digital citizenship and empower young users to promote positive online behaviors.