AI safety keynotes for independent and private schools

Built for independent schools

Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. is an AI safety keynote speaker for independent, private, and faith-based schools, a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center. He has presented for NAIS, TABS, AISNE, and AIMS, and speaks at student assemblies by division, parent evenings, and faculty in-service days on generative AI, AI chatbots, deepfake abuse, and AI literacy. His research has been cited approximately 30,000 times.

Independent, private, and faith-based schools sit closer to their families than almost any other institution, and parents expect the school to have a clear answer when a new technology reaches their children. Artificial intelligence has arrived faster than most communities could prepare for. Dr. Hinduja gives your students, parents, and faculty that clear answer, grounded in research rather than headlines.

He has presented at the national conferences of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), and for regional associations of independent schools including the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) and the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS). He has also spoken at individual independent, Catholic, Christian, and Jewish day schools across the United States, tailoring each visit to the age group and to the character of the community. Alongside artificial intelligence, he speaks at these schools on cyberbullying, sextortion, social media, and digital well-being.

The research behind the talk

Teenagers are forming attachments to AI companion apps, generative tools are producing nonconsensual images of classmates, and chatbots are giving minors guidance no parent would sanction. Most schools are responding without a clear picture of what is actually happening on their own campuses.

Dr. Sameer Hinduja studies this directly, drawing on nationally representative data from US youth. His current work covers conversational AI and companion apps, the way youth loneliness and mental health intersect with AI adoption, deepfake abuse in schools, AI-facilitated harassment and hate, and the use of generative AI for catfishing, sextortion, and identity theft. The talk shares what that research is showing, in language accessible to every audience regardless of technical background, and it never relies on fear or scare tactics.

What the research shows

Dr. Hinduja's research has been cited approximately 30,000 times, and his studies draw on data from approximately 40,000 young people.

He was quoted extensively in the Associated Press national investigation into deepfake cyberbullying in schools in December 2025, coverage carried by PBS NewsHour, ABC News, and Education Week.

His current work examines how nationally representative samples of US youth adopt, use, and misuse conversational AI companions, including romantic chatbot apps marketed to teenagers.

Formats for your school

A campus visit can bring together several audiences in a single day, or focus on one. Each session is tailored to the division and to the concerns of your community, and all are available in person or online.

Most requested presentation

Youth, Generative AI, and Social Chatbots: What We're Learning, and What Comes Next

Customized for students, for parents, or for faculty, the session explains how generative AI works, how young people are actually using it, and where the genuine risks sit, separated from the moral panic. Through anonymous flash polling, the audience shares its own positive and negative experiences in real time. It closes on practical strategies, classroom activities, and the protective strengths, media literacy, critical consumption, resilience, and sound judgment, that help students navigate these tools well rather than fear them.

Audiences leave able to:

• Identify the key benefits and risks of generative AI and social chatbots in the lives of students.
• Recognize signs of AI-generated harm, including harassment, hate, deepfakes, and manipulative content.
• Understand how youth mental health and loneliness intersect with AI adoption and misuse.
• Tell helpful uses of conversational AI apart from harmful ones, and teach students to do the same.
• Support the character, empathy, and discernment that independent and faith-based schools already value.
• Leave with strategies and resources for students, parents, and educators.

Trusted by independent and faith-based schools

"His keynote on Artificial Intelligence, Online Safety and Children's Rights in the Digital Environment was truly exceptional. He brought a rare combination of global expertise and genuine care for children's rights, helping our audience understand the urgent intersections between AI, online safety, and youth protection in ways that felt both scholarly and deeply human."

Dr. Bridget Joyce Machaka, Researcher, University of the Free State, South Africa

"He delivered one of the most relevant and practically grounded trainings our team has experienced. He brought the full range of digital harm to life, from harassment and deepfakes to AI-driven risks, and left us with real, evidence-based tools we could put to use immediately."

Wendy Berkey, JD, Clinic Administrator, Blank Children's STAR Center

"Dr. Sameer Hinduja educated Williston students, and a gathering of parents the evening before, about the clear and present dangers of teenage social media use. An expert in his field, and a professor who connects quickly with middle and upper school students."

Robert W. Hill, Head of Schools, Williston Northampton School, Easthampton, MA

"What I love most about Dr. Hinduja's presentations is how he speaks with the students. Like a master teacher, he makes it clear that the space is safe for all types of comments and questions. Our students walked out feeling that they had been part of a discussion, and for the faculty and families, his current research astounds us."

Sarah Kemeness, Head of Upper School, Palm Beach Day Academy, Palm Beach, FL

"Sameer not only speaks with authority about the ins and outs of technology and social media use, but also emphasizes the interplay between kids' on and offline lives. The feedback from our parent community was incredible, and our students loved him too. He is a brilliant presenter and a compassionate and knowledgeable educator."

Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, School Counselor, Sheridan School, Washington DC

"Dr. Hinduja delivered smart, informative, compelling presentations that gave the audiences much to consider. Each presentation was tailored to middle school students, high school students, and parents, and hit the mark. As a faith-based school, I appreciated the spiritual grounding Sameer was able to share with students. Highly recommended."

Christopher Keavy, President, St. John Paul II School, Hyannis, MA

"He has a way of capturing his audience from the start. He also addressed our parents during an evening event, and offered faith-based advice on how to parent in this digital generation. His focus on building our children's resilience, empathy, and discernment was invaluable. I highly suggest having him speak at your school."

Brian Urichko, Assistant Principal, Upper School, The Master's Academy

"It is an honor and privilege to recommend Dr. Hinduja as a guest speaker for your school assembly on digital safety and cyberbullying. He wowed all of our audiences, parent, elementary, middle and upper school, with his knowledge, professionalism, and ability to captivate. If you are looking for someone to speak about digital safety and cyberbullying, you need not look any further."

Susie London, Psy.D., Middle and High School Psychologist, RASG Hebrew Academy, Miami Beach, FL

Common questions

Background

Dr. Hinduja is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, where his current work centers on AI and youth. He is also Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. He has advised the White House across two administrations, presented at a National Institutes of Health workshop on technology and child development, and worked with Google, Meta, TikTok, Snap, and other platforms on youth safety. Alongside his work with independent school associations such as NAIS, TABS, AISNE, and AIMS, his commentary on AI and youth has appeared in MIT Technology Review, the Associated Press, and other national outlets. You can read his full biography at hinduja.org.