Originally published on Newsweek on October 25, 2023
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is more than the latest buzzword, and most of the discussion seems to focus on its drawbacks: how AI usage limits creativity, fosters laziness, and could perpetuate discrimination in hiring, banking, and other areas. These concerns are certainly valid, and there’s still more work to do to ensure that AI is fair and equitable.
And while none of us has a crystal ball to see what the future holds for AI, I think it’s safe to bet that it’s here to stay. That means it’s worth considering AI’s potential advantages; one of which could be joining us — school leaders and parents — in the battle against bullying.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 6 million students skip school every year for fear of being bullied. This is as staggering as it is troubling. No student should ever be worried about going to school or logging into class because they’re afraid. In recent weeks, I’ve been asking myself the question: can we use AI to help protect our kids from bullying behaviors — both in-person and online? Here are three ways that AI can potentially help more schools and parents.
Moderate and Monitor Content
AI algorithms can scan text, images, and videos on social media platforms and other online spaces. Natural Language Processing (NLP) models can analyze the context of online conversations, understanding their meaning, detecting potentially harmful or dangerous language, and alerting users. That means we can use AI to identify and remove bullying language and offensive content more quickly and efficiently.
Not surprisingly, most platforms are already doing this. For example, Meta is consistently monitoring its Facebook platform for “objectionable content” that “threatens people (or) has the potential to intimidate, exclude, or silence others.” By embracing AI’s ability to monitor content, educators and administrators can limit negative interactions among students in online school spaces.
Provide Analytics and Personalized Support
By analyzing past data and prior behaviors, AI can provide predictions of future trends. That means it has the potential to help parents, caregivers and school leaders curb future incidents of bullying; provide preemptive intervention opportunities; and help design more targeted awareness initiatives.
If finance companies can use this technology to assess market trends, why can’t schools do the same with social and academic ones? AI-generated chatbots could even help identify struggling students and provide them with immediate, real-time support, resources, and advice for additional assistance.
Improve Parental Controls
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about parent-as-Big-Brother; this is about keeping kids safe online, where — for better or worse — they are spending a lot of their time. AI-powered software can be an extra tool for parents and caregivers to monitor their children’s online activities and alert them to potential bullying situations. Across platforms, AI can be used to filter and analyze content and monitor keyword searches and screen time, giving parents insights into their children’s digital and mental well-being.
Wrapping Up
I’m not suggesting that AI will solve all our problems when it comes to bullying. But I am saying that we should consider the ways in which AI can be another tool in this fight. As parents, we often wonder ‘What if we did this or that?‘ But maybe, just maybe, some ‘what if’ questions don’t have to plague us anymore. Maybe some of the answers we seek already exist in the form of AI. It may not be perfect, but don’t we owe it to our students to, at least, give it a try?
To learn more about Stride, Inc., visit https://www.stridelearning.com/.
