AI is already speaking to teens. The // DoubleSlash brings young people from racial, ethnic, and sexual minority communities into the room where these tools get built, as co-designers, not test subjects.
Sixty-four percent of US teens use AI chatbots (Pew Research Center, 2025).1 Use is higher among Black and Hispanic teens.1 Sexual minority youth are turning to chatbots in moments they would not turn to a parent, a counselor, or a friend.2
The systems they reach are not built with them in mind. They misread coded language. They get pronouns wrong. They miss racism. They suggest "talk to your parents" when coming out could put a teen at risk.
Regulators are starting to respond. But policy alone will not close the gap. The teens most likely to be misunderstood by these systems are not in the rooms where the systems get built.
Documented cases of chatbots mishandling teen disclosures of distress, questions about coming out and transition, and suicidal ideation have triggered lawsuits, an FTC inquiry, and bipartisan US legislation.
The companies are iterating. They are not yet required to do so with the youth most affected.
Our youth co-designers are not focus-group subjects. They test AI responses, identify harms and gaps, and document safety recommendations alongside us — paid for their time and named on the work.
Young people from racial, ethnic, and sexual minority communities are routinely missing from the data, the design teams, and the deployment plans. We make their absence the starting question. Recruitment begins in Southern and HBCU communities.
A toolkit teens can use to recognize when AI is misunderstanding them, push back, and know when to reach a person. Algorithmic agency is a practical skill, not an abstraction.
Recruited from Southern and historically Black college and university communities. Paid. Named. Centered.
Practical resources distributed through schools, community organizations, social media, and word of mouth.
Each has agreed to share approved materials with the young people they serve. We continue building relationships with schools and youth-serving organizations across the South.
Op-eds, talks, and policy briefs that push the field — and the industry — toward youth co-design as standard practice.
Xavier University of Louisiana IRB protocol 1097, under Full Board review.
There are seats at this table. We are looking for collaborators who treat young people as the experts on their own lives.
Paid co-designers shaping AI mental health tools from the inside. Applications open after IRB approval.
The people who build, study, fund, and regulate the systems teens encounter. Our findings, methods, and tools are openly published — invitations included.