My Framer Site

KareBare

Your Digital Social Media Companion

Age verifications are weakly enforced to keep minors away from sensitive content
Flawed parent controls for young teens
Moderated devices to prohibit online access fails with mobile devices
Social media moderation censor explicit content but only with user requests
IOS & Android devices provide screen monitoring features that can be easily ignored by users
Social media workshops to help students are very limited in availability compared to rapid popularity of new social media apps
Cyberbullying PSAs discourage young users as bad actors; very difficult to hold accountable
Guidance counselors help teens cope with online harm.
Limited availability affects opportunity to cope
Inefficient major policies and legislations under the U.S government to hold social media platforms accountable for their content moderation & addictive algorithms.
Blocking and report bad actors these users are not held accountable for causing online harms nearly enough to protect young users
Age verifications are weakly enforced to keep minors away from sensitive content
Flawed parent controls for young teens
Moderated devices to prohibit online access fails with mobile devices
Social media moderation censor explicit content but only with user requests
IOS & Android devices provide screen monitoring features that can be easily ignored by users
Social media workshops to help students are very limited in availability compared to rapid popularity of new social media apps
Cyberbullying PSAs discourage young users as bad actors; very difficult to hold accountable
Guidance counselors help teens cope with online harm.
Limited availability affects opportunity to cope
Inefficient major policies and legislations under the U.S government to hold social media platforms accountable for their content moderation & addictive algorithms.
Blocking and report bad actors these users are not held accountable for causing online harms nearly enough to protect young users
Age verifications are weakly enforced to keep minors away from sensitive content
Flawed parent controls for young teens
Moderated devices to prohibit online access fails with mobile devices
Social media moderation censor explicit content but only with user requests
IOS & Android devices provide screen monitoring features that can be easily ignored by users
Social media workshops to help students are very limited in availability compared to rapid popularity of new social media apps
Cyberbullying PSAs discourage young users as bad actors; very difficult to hold accountable
Guidance counselors help teens cope with online harm.
Limited availability affects opportunity to cope
Inefficient major policies and legislations under the U.S government to hold social media platforms accountable for their content moderation & addictive algorithms.
Blocking and report bad actors these users are not held accountable for causing online harms nearly enough to protect young users
Age verifications are weakly enforced to keep minors away from sensitive content
Flawed parent controls for young teens
Moderated devices to prohibit online access fails with mobile devices
Social media moderation censor explicit content but only with user requests
IOS & Android devices provide screen monitoring features that can be easily ignored by users
Social media workshops to help students are very limited in availability compared to rapid popularity of new social media apps
Cyberbullying PSAs discourage young users as bad actors; very difficult to hold accountable
Guidance counselors help teens cope with online harm.
Limited availability affects opportunity to cope
Inefficient major policies and legislations under the U.S government to hold social media platforms accountable for their content moderation & addictive algorithms.
Blocking and report bad actors these users are not held accountable for causing online harms nearly enough to protect young users

Role

Product Designer

Social media plays a pivotal role in the lives of young teenagers by offering avenues for virtual connections with friends, personal expression & education, and entertainment. However, alongside its benefits come significant challenges: exposure to bad actors, screen addiction, & cyberbullying, all of which can have profound negative impacts on mental health and personal well-being.

While previous solutions have attempted to address these issues through education and technological interventions, they often fall short in providing comprehensive support and guidance for young users. Enter KareBare: a virtual A.I. chat bot designed to revolutionize the way young users navigate social media. By offering personalized chat interactions, screen time alerts, and resources for dealing with online risks, KareBare empowers users to engage safely online by fostering a healthier & more positive digital experience. Our design aims to help young users able to maintain a healthy relationship with social media.

Team

2 Researchers, 3 Designers

2 Research Consultants

Timeline

4 months

Skills & Tools

Figma, Zoom, Notion

Visual Design, User Research, Prototyping

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Solution

Teenagers

Parents

Government

Social Media

Awareness of Online Risks

Parents struggle to teach their kids how to be safe online due to differences in perspectives on social media. Educational programs & schools fall behind on adapting to new social media platforms.

Limited Moderation on User Content

There are no incentives for social media platforms to harsher content moderation. Holding bad actors accountable for their posts and criminalizing predatory algorithms. Anonymity & privacy concerns enable bad actors on platforms to continue creating hostile environments

Regulating Social Media Platforms

Major limitations of legal intervention from the U.S. government to protect teens on social media. Social media legislator alleged that content moderation is protected under Section 230: social media platforms are not liable as publishers or speakers for what their users post on their platform.

Difficulty Coping With Online Harms

Teens are highly susceptible to harmful content on social media (i.e. graphic content, harassment, misinformation, exposure to bad actors, etc.). Young users are ill-equipped to process trauma from these negative experiences forced to learn on their own terms.

Literature Review

Survey Studies

14 Peer-Reviewed Articles

Responses from Young Adults

Multiple Student & Parent Interviews

Survey Study

Semi-Structured Interviews

User Research

In order to understand our problem space, we implored three research methods to identify our primary stakeholders:

Focus on major topics related to social media policies on minors as users, content moderation, and harms

Quantitative research of Cornell University undergraduate students and their early exposure to social media

Qualitative research of relevant groups for varied experiences with social media

We conducted literature review to identify the primary stakeholders on minor safety on social media platforms. After thorough analysis, we defined our problem space which included four major user groups. Each group faces unique issues and needs to consider for understanding the user problem:

After finishing our literature review, our team moved forward with our user research to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. We began with a survey which was conducted with the Cornell University undergraduate population.

We reached out to multiple student campus organizations, primarily through emails and messages through Slack, to provide our survey to members interested in our research goal. We aimed to reach a broad range of students with diverse backgrounds to reflect on their early experiences with social media. At the conclusion of our study, we collected 25 surveys which provided insights into how young adults interacted with social media at an early age.

The Solution

Early social media use was greatly affected by peer and parents' online behavior

Acknowledge the positives of their teens having access to phones and social media

Believe they should be actively supervising their kids' online behavior rather than the government

Struggled to not engage in toxic behavior online such as peer pressure

Found it very difficult to initiate conversations about social media safety with their older kids

The absence of educational programs & workshops made it hard to rely on schools as a resource to promote online safety

Did not learn how to effectively deal with bad actors engaging in cyberbullying, harassment, grooming, etc.

Actively rebelled against parent intervention viewing it as unreasonable or an invasion of privacy

Viewed social media as the best ways to connect with their friends outside of school

Network effects heavily influenced which social media apps were the most popular

Semi-Structure Interviews

At the conclusion of our surveys, we provided inquiry forms to recruit participants interested in qualitative interviews. We were able to screen for interviews with both undergraduate participants and parents on the topic. We conducted 12 semi-structured interviews between 6 parents & 6 students in order to understand multiple perspectives on social media usage among teenagers. Here are the major takeaways from the student interviews and the parent interviews:

Current strategies are failing to keep up with the rapid integration of social media in early adolescence. Young users use social media very early and are attracted to the most popular apps. These platforms must balance moderation between their larger userbase and minors leaving young users vulnerable. As such, teens also struggle to talk to their parents/guardians on how to use social media, and only talk about their negative online experiences with their peers.

Young users need help learning social media literacy because knowing how to navigate online interactions is crucial for their personal development, but lack a proper support system to deal with online harms such as harassment, cyberbullying, and avoiding bad actors

Student Interviews

Parent Interviews

Intervention For Helping Teens & Young Users Is Extremely Difficult

How Might We…

Help young users develop healthy coping strategies for viewing explicit/traumatic content?

Help young users navigate against harassment from bad actors

Find moments of intervention to help young users during crisis moments?

Low Fidelity and Feature Comparison

Our KareBare A.I. acts as an app extension for both IOS & Android devices. This login helps customize the chatbot for the user’s preference. This personalization helps the user naturally engage with KareBare.

Onboarding

KareBare on Home Screen

Introduction Screen

The onboarding process shows users information to help customize the KareBare A.I to their liking. In turn, KareBare will cater its conversations to the users' interest rather than generic messages.

Screentime

KareBare sends personalized screen time reminders to users encouraging them to take breaks, and maintain a healthy balance between online & offline activities. These reminders are tailored to individual usage patterns, incite convos based on past texts, & recommend hobbies or activities delivered in a friendly and supportive tone.

The screentime alert icons are gentle reminders which is reflected in the quirky panda expressions. The notification color indicates how much scrolling the user has done compared to the recommended amount.

Chatting with Kare

Feeling insecure after scrolling through perfect pictures on Instagram? Talk with KareBare about how you feel. Using past conversations, KareBare develops empathetic responses and curates helpful info to cater to the user’s needs for their mental health.

Approaching Bad Actors

Parent Log

Young users are under immense stress facing anonymous dangers across different social media platforms. Get immediate help when facing a bad actor with KareBare. Provide a link to the post and our chatbot will recommend the best strategies to deal with these encounters.

Our app incorporates a Parent Log feature, providing invaluable insights into children's online activities and well-being. By offering regular reports on screen time, social media interactions, and potential instances of harassment or cyberbullying.

Parents can stay informed and initiate crucial conversations with their children about responsible digital behavior. This feature encourages open dialogue while enhances child safety by empowering parents to take proactive measures.

TLDR:

TLDR:

Future Consideration

By instilling essential digital literacy skills & promoting responsible online behavior. KareBare empowers teenagers to navigate the complexities of social media with confidence. Whether it's combating bad actors, managing screen time, or fostering positive self-image, KareBare is their trusted companion.