A team of ninth-grade students from Chaminade High School was recently featured in the New York Post, FOX 5 News, CBS 2 NY, and News12 for their award-winning project, Buddy Bot—an AI-powered chatbot designed to help teenagers reduce screen time and promote healthier social media habits. The project earned the students first place in Northwell Health’s prestigious Medical Marvels competition, which tasked over 180 students from Long Island and New York City with creating solutions to lessen the negative impact of social media.
The Chaminade team—Christopher Covelli, Andrew Dargento, Luke Krinsky, Ty Miranda and Mateo Solis—developed Buddy Bot as part of a larger digital detox initiative called Media Mindful. The interactive chatbot recognizes over 400 keywords and offers positive reinforcement messages, such as “Remember to take deep breaths. You’re not alone,” when users express feelings of stress or frustration. To strengthen their project, the students surveyed nearly 350 Chaminade peers, revealing that 60% reported negative effects on their sleep and mental health due to social media use.
Following their competition win, the students plan to use their $1,800 prize money to develop a full-fledged app that pairs with Buddy Bot. The app will feature a tiered incentive system to motivate users to reduce screen time, offering rewards such as class pizza parties for the lowest screen usage. The team’s goal is to pilot the app at Chaminade, helping their peers build healthier digital habits.
Congratulations to these students for their creativity, problem-solving skills, and commitment to tackling a major issue facing their generation. Their work in the Dolan Family Science, Technology, and Research Center is making a meaningful impact both in the classroom and beyond.
Posted On
26 Mar, 2025