Rebecca Sedwick was a victim of cyberbullying at the age of 12. Her death sparked a national conversation about how to best address cyberbullying. People began asking how parents could better manage their kids’ digital communications. “I’m aggravated that the parents aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Florida Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told CNN during the investigation into Sedwick’s death.
But Trisha Prabhu, who, inspired by Sedwick’s case, created the anti-bullying app ReThink when she was just 13, found that it wasn’t necessarily the parents’ responsibility to manage their kids’ online presence; rather, it was important for teens themselves to understand that what they say to a peer could be devastating.
“Here we are, giving teenagers this incredible power to communicate as digital citizens. And quite frankly, they’re not really equipped to make those decisions,” Prabhu, now 17, says. Her app uses an algorithm that recognizes and flags offensive language before it’s sent via text message or posted online. “There are severe consequences and lifelong scars when someone is bullied, and cyberspace compounds the effects.”
Numerous studies have shown that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that manages impulse control, develops during teenage years but matures later, when people reach their mid-20s. That lack of impulse control leads to words a teen aggressor might regret. It’s also inspired anti-bullying advocates to find ways to encourage teens to second-guess their online interactions.
Prabhu’s ReThink app, which has been pushed by the Los Angeles Police Department and other organizations, uses an algorithm that is able to recognize and flag offensive language, then halt the message from being sent, allowing the sender a second chance to evaluate what they’ve written.
ReThink’s linguistic models are able to tell the difference between a user complaining about the weather, say, versus a user who’s sending a threat to someone. So for example, typing out “I hate the rain” would not be flagged. But messaging “I hate you,” on the other hand, would trigger the app’s filtering tool, which pops up when the user hits send and asks, “Are you sure you want to post this message?”
The app is invaluable to organizations that have been looking to technology as a disruptor for negative online messaging. Initial trial runs of the app found that 93 percent of teens that use it changed their minds about sending a message. ReThink now has more than 1.1 million users around the U.S.
“All the app does is shoot a question back to you, and it helps give you another filter,” says Jane Clementi, whose son Tyler was a victim of suicide in 2010 after his college roommate outed him by posting a sex video online. “I always tell people to take a breath, reread what they’ve written and if it’s not building someone up, if it’s tearing them down, I would hope that they would reconsider what they’ve written or maybe even discard it.”
Jane and her husband, Joe, started the Clementi Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing the kind of bullying their son endured. The couple has endorsed the ReThink app and appointed Prabhu to the foundation’s board.
“Technology like the ReThink app gives you a second chance,” says Joe. “And you don’t always get a second chance on a lot of things.”
The 2017 AllStars program is produced in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal and celebrates social entrepreneurs who are powering solutions with innovative technology. Visit NationSwell.com/AllStars from Oct. 2 to Nov. 2 to vote for your favorite AllStar. The winner will receive the AllStar Award, a $10,000 grant to help further his or her work advocating for change.
Correction: A previous version of this video incorrectly stated that Trisha Prabhu had already graduated from high school. She is currently a senior in high school. NationSwell apologizes for the error.
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Tag: cyberbullying
Author John Green and his Nerdfighters Work for a Friendly Online Atmosphere
The Fault in Our Stars topped the New York Times bestseller list, is a major hit in theaters, and most likely, left all of us who read or saw the gut-wrenching tale reeling in emotional turmoil.
The man behind all of this success, though, has done much more for the teenagers and the world than just filling them with dreams of Augustus Waters and uncontrollable crying.
John Green is the author of the popular young adult novel, but he is also a member of Nerdfighters — a millions strong online movement making a difference in the world.
Nerdfighters reside in an online realm called “Nerdfighteria” complete with their own language. Their mission, though simple, is powerful: they intend to fight the “world suck” with “awesome.” Armed with technology, Nerdfighters create videos and post them mainly on YouTube — covering issues such as anti-bullying as well as raising money for charities.
Through their Foundation to Decrease World Suck, the Nerdfighters arrange annual fundraisers through their Project 4 Awesome. What’s that? It’s a competition where money is raised and donated to organizations around the world that promote awesome in the world. Their motto — “DFTBA: Don’t Forget to be Awesome” — is a positive message, and one that they definitely have not forgotten.
The 2013 Project 4 Awesome took place in December over YouTube, raising an astonishing $850,000 in just two short days for multiple charities, including Doctors Without Borders, Books for Africa, Water.org and Women for Women, among others.
Nerdfighteria is not just a place to raise money; it is also a safe Internet environment for teenagers. Cyberbullying cases consistently dominate news headlines, but this group is working to combat this trend. Members are given the chance to join a nondiscriminatory group that values membership and individuality.
It all began in 2007, when John and his brother, Hank Green, started their own YouTube series called Vlogbrothers where the two brothersdiscussed all sorts of topics — although most were nerdy and geeky in some fashion. They quickly garnered a following, but only after John mistakenly called the arcade game Aero Fighters, Nerdfighters, did the name and movement take off.
How then, did the man behind Nerdfighters come to write The Fault in Our Stars? It all began with one of the initial Nerdfighters, a girl named Esther Earl. Earl was an avid YouTube video blogger, posting videos about funny topics and also her experience with thyroid cancer. She was brave and did not let cancer define her, much like Hazel Grace Lancaster in John’s book. Earl lost her battle in 2010 at the age of 16, becoming the book’s inspiration.
Green’s relationship with Earl and his other Nerdfighters show the positive change that can come through empathy and community. Everyone needs to belong, and it is time for the Internet, a tool that is supposed to connect us, to finally fulfill its purpose.
With all of Green’s positive work, we can almost forgive him for the depressing ending of his book.
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