New Chrome Extension Prevents Cyberbullying

Colorado resident Gitanjali Rao invented a tech-driven solution to cyberbullying when she was just 15 years old. Called Kindly, it’s a Chrome extension that uses AI to detect possible bullying in emails and chats before they’re sent, giving kids a chance to step back and rephrase the message before hitting send. 

We love the concept and we’re excited to see how Kindly evolves in the future, but we had a tough time getting it to flag mean-spirited emails during testing. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth adding to your arsenal of online safety tools. Just having Kindly’s dot in the text box can serve as a reminder to kids to slow down and think about the consequences of what they’re saying. 

We recommend combining Kindly with a tool like Bark for comprehensive message monitoring, and continuing to have conversations about the importance of treating people well. 

Like other AI programs, Kindly needs to be trained to interpret other phrases and words. Anyone is welcome to train Kindly to improve its accuracy.

1. Visit the Contribute page, hosted by UNICEF.
2. Type a reply to the given prompt. It doesn’t have to be an example of bullying — Kindly needs help recognizing constructive criticism and positive messages, too. 
3. Kindly will analyze your reply. Click Yes or No to indicate whether you agree with its analysis.

Rao’s ability to think outside the box has allowed her to tackle more than just cyberbullying. She became TIME Magazine’s first Kid of the Year in 2020 at the age of 15. At that point, she had already invented a device that detects lead in water, a way to detect the early stages of opioid addiction, and mentored 30,000 students. She is revolutionizing safety in so many ways, and we can’t wait to see what she thinks of next.

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