AI safety and youth: keynotes grounded in research
Dr. Sameer Hinduja helps youth-serving professionals understand what artificial intelligence means for young people, and what can be done to promote its positive use while preventing attendant risks and harms.
The research behind the talk
Artificial intelligence reached young people faster than the adults in their lives could prepare for it. 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 and organizations are responding without a clear picture of what is actually happening.
Dr. Sameer Hinduja studies this directly, drawing on nationally representative data from US youth. His current and recent work covers conversational AI and companion apps, the intersection of youth loneliness and mental health 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 finding, in language accessible for all audiences regardless of technical background.
Platforms are a central part of the conversation, not an afterthought. Dr. Hinduja advises technology companies on youth safety, and the talk examines what platforms are doing, and failing to do, to detect and label AI-generated content, verify users, and restrict harmful outputs.
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Youth, Generative AI, and Social Chatbots: What We're Learning, and What Comes Next
Customized for either youth-serving practitioners or young people themselves, 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 and clinic activities, and the protective strengths, media literacy, critical consumption, resilience, and sound judgment, that help young people 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 youth contexts.
- 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 young people to do the same.
- Understand the role of platforms in detecting, labeling, verifying users, and restricting harmful AI content.
- Leave with classroom and clinic activities, plus resources for youth, parents, and educators.
Who this is for
Each presentation is tailored to the audience and the concerns of the specific community, and is available in person or online.
What hosts say
"Sameer brought his years of research, his wisdom, humility and heart to the session, and we left as better, more informed people. His thoughtful insights into strategies and evidence were genuine and compelling."
Lesley Podesta, Chief Executive Officer, Alannah & Madeline Foundation, Australia
"His presentation was informative, engaging, and extremely well-received. Participants praised him as knowledgeable, passionate, genuine, intelligent, and practical."
Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D., Director, Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo
"He 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. He does not use scare tactics."
Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, School Counselor, Sheridan School, Washington DC
"The material is always fresh and discusses the most recent apps and devices that our students are using. He presented in a way that students can understand and apply."
Heidi Foley, Principal, Academy of Holy Angels, Minneapolis
"With his clear, calm, and compassionate approach, Dr. Sameer Hinduja takes the fear out of social media use. His presentation is exactly what parents, caregivers, and educators need in today's digital world."
Charlene Margot, MA, Co-Founder and CEO, The Parent Venture
"Dr. Hinduja delivered smart, informative, compelling presentations that gave the audiences much to consider. Each was tailored to the particular perspective of the audience. Highly recommended."
Christopher Keavy, President, St. John Paul II School, Hyannis, MA
Common questions
What does Dr. Hinduja's AI and youth keynote cover?
It explains how generative AI, chatbots, AI companion apps, and image generators work, how young people are using them, and the risks that matter most, including companion dependency, deepfake and image-based abuse, AI-facilitated harassment, and exploitation. It then turns to media literacy, classroom and clinic strategies, and the role of platforms and policy.
Who is the AI safety presentation for?
Conferences, K-12 schools and districts, independent and faith-based schools, nonprofits, government agencies, technology and trust-and-safety teams, health professionals, and parent audiences. It can be customized for youth-serving adults or for young people themselves.
Is the session appropriate for parents who are not technical?
Yes. The talk is written for a general audience and explains how the technology works in plain language, without assuming any technical background.
Does Dr. Hinduja address what platforms should do?
Yes. He advises technology companies on youth safety and covers how platforms can detect and label AI-generated content, verify users, and restrict harmful outputs, alongside emerging policy.
Background
per Stanford University
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 at Harvard University, 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. 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.