2025

Chatbots and AI in Promoting Self-Esteem

This year’s Digital Wellbeing Workshop Series included two dynamic sessions: a one-week virtual workshop in June and a one-day in-person workshop in July. Both sessions were free and open to rising 6th-9th grade girls and their allies, fostering a supportive space to explore different self-esteem domains, AI & media literacy, and the power of system prompting to create personalized chatbots. Participants engaged in small group activities with Wellesley College facilitators, building skills in respectful online behavior, identifying and raising awareness of social issues, and co-designing chatbots for healthier digital communities.

This program was generously funded by the Metrowest Women’s Fund, the Metrowest Health Foundation, the Wellesley Centers for Women, and the Wellesley College Social Science Summer Research Program.

Digital Wellbeing Workshop

Our in-person workshop took place in July! The workshop was held over one day at Wellesley College. The workshops are open to everyone and provide a great way for students to participate and engage with their peers.

Virtual Wellbeing Workshop

The virtual workshops took place in June! It was a week-long in-depth exploration of digital wellbeing through interactive online activities revolving around self-esteem and AI.

Activities

Each team created system prompts for chatbots related to one of the self-esteem domains: Academic, Appearance, Online Persona, Relationships, or Social Identities. There were guest speakers and presentations with activities designed for the students to interact with the programming.

Team: Sushi Nerds

Rainbow Artists

Sonic Sweethearts

Rising Stars

Takeaways

Throughout our workshops, the participants are asked to fill out journal entries with prompts that came from one of our Youth Advisory Board members! These are some of the quotes and takeaways that the participants wanted to share with us.