Many adolescents in India, especially girls, are at risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse online and lack access to accurate and complete information on online safety and sexual and reproductive health.
Innovative approaches leveraging digital platforms of engagement are needed to provide accurate information at scale in a safe, anonymous and non-judgmental environment in order to promote awareness of child sexual exploitation and abuse online among children and adolescents.
The Population Foundation of India (PFI) developed an artificial intelligence (AI) driven chatbot, SnehAI, to provide information on sexual reproductive health and child sexual exploitation and abuse in an interactive and engaging manner, using stories, quizzes, videos, GIFs and illustrations.
The problem
Over 50% of the population in India have digital access, according to a 2022 report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR. Adolescents form a significant proportion of internet users in India, and are highly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and abuse online due to limited or no access to accurate information1-3.
Formative research conducted by PFI in 2023 found that despite acknowledgement of online risks by most adolescents (87%), awareness of laws against child sexual exploitation and abuse online was limited (39%). Fifteen percent of adolescents reported experiencing at least one incident related to this form of online abuse, with only 5% reporting to service providers and adopting appropriate management practices against this threat.
Research also shows young people learn more about sexual reproductive health from uninformed and unreliable sources, perpetuating myths and misconceptions4-6. In the online space, adolescents’ vulnerabilities increase manifold due to this knowledge gap5,7.
According to reports, Interpol reported 2.4 million cases of child sexual exploitation and abuse online in India from 2017 to 2020. There is an urgent need to bridge this information gap for children and adolescents in an accessible, user-friendly manner.
The solution
Realising the need to provide a safe space where adolescents can access comprehensive information on sexual reproductive health and online safety, PFI created an artificial intelligence (AI) driven chatbot “SnehAI”, embedded on Facebook Messenger.
Introduced in April 2019, SnehAI leveraged learnings from the organisation’s 360-degree, transmedia SBCC initiative, Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon[1] (which translates as “I, A Woman, Can Achieve Anything”). The avatar “Sneha” is modelled after the lead protagonist of the show, Dr Sneha, a well-informed and confident young individual who serves as an inspiration to young people.
SnehAI is a first-of-its-kind digital intervention in India that leverages AI technology to reach adolescents and young Indians, encouraging conversations about issues that are often considered taboo due to the stigma associated with them. The chatbot provides a secure, personalised, and non-judgmental space for young people to access verified information about issues related to their sexual reproductive health and safe online behaviour, empowering them to learn more about their safety and wellbeing.
In 2020, SnehAI evolved into a text-based chatbot (SnehAI 2.0) with enhanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities, with funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund.
In 2021, it expanded its content (SnehAI 3.0) to include safe online behaviours with funding support from the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children fund, a global coalition focused on ending all forms of violence against children. In 2022, SnehAI was one of the winners of Meta‘s WhatsApp Incubator Program, under which a WhatsApp bot was developed.
To enhance engagement, SnehAI uses interactive content formats like quizzes, stories, and myth busters and rich media features such as videos, GIFs and illustrations.
The impact
Over the past three years, SnehAI has reached millions of adolescents, engaging them in conversations on sexual reproductive health and online safety. An external evaluation in 2023 revealed that SnehAI reached over 150 thousand unique users, with exponential year-on-year growth.
Further, the platform data suggests that nearly 200 thousand conversations occurred on SnehAI, resulting in the exchange of 1.3 million messages and totalling approximately 463,721 minutes, with an average duration of 2.34 minutes per user.
The end-line evaluation suggested that SnehAI users demonstrated a better understanding of the risks associated with internet and social media use for privacy and safety. SnehAI users (74%) showed better awareness of the laws and rules aimed at preventing child sexual exploitation and abuse in India compared to non-users (62%). Similarly, awareness of platforms and helplines for reporting child sexual exploitation and abuse online was higher among SnehAI users (62%) than among non-users (43%).
Among users, 80% mentioned interacting with the chatbot more than once, with stories being the most favoured content type, chosen by 76% of users. A majority of SnehAI users (88%) found it easy to use, and 87% of them found the information learned from SnehAI easy to apply in real-life situations. Users expressed a high average confidence level (80 out of 100) in practising safe online behaviour after engaging with the chatbot.
What themes and type of content is most popular among SnehAI users
Lessons learned
The reach and engagement of SnehAI as well as findings from the endline evaluations demonstrate the impact and potential of the chatbot in creating awareness and deepening the understanding among children and young people on sensitive issues like child sexual exploitation and abuse online, sexual reproductive health and overall health and wellbeing. It introduces information in a manner that is acceptable, accessible, and safe, while ensuring a safe, anonymous and a non-judgmental environment.
To remain relevant and ensure engagement among adolescents and children, it is essential to innovate and upgrade programmes and interventions. This approach has proven successful for SnehAI, which has evolved consistently, transitioning from a ‘click and button approach’ in SnehAI 1.0 (2019) to adopting a text-based chat using NLP technology in SnehAI 2.0 (2020).
Additionally, it has continuously modified the appearance of its avatar to make it more relevant and acceptable to the target audience, and expanded its themes and content, as seen in SnehAI 3.0 (2021) with the inclusion of online safety.
Exploring new digital platforms that are highly sought after by adolescents has been crucial for increasing reach and enhancing user engagement. For instance, in 2022, SnehAI was introduced on the WhatsApp platform, further broadening its accessibility and impact. To further expand the reach and capability, a voice functionality has been integrated into SnehAI chatbot. To popularise SnehAI among adolescents, various promotional activities, both on-ground and in online spaces, proved to be beneficial.
We believe that since SnehAI operates in a fast-changing environment, it’s essential for it to learn from the very environment in which it operates. Introducing contemporary topics, improving content flow and adapting to the trends of social media, such as introducing voice notes, as well as implementing targeted promotional activities both on-ground and online, to expand the reach of SnehAI.
Founded in 1970 by the late JRD Tata, the Population Foundation of India is a leading NGO in the fields of population dynamics, gender equity, and sexual and reproductive health.
It addresses population issues within the context of empowering women, men and young people, enabling them to make informed decisions about their fertility, health, and wellbeing.
The organisation’s approaches include strategic engagement with policymakers, media and other key stakeholders; knowledge generation and dissemination; leveraging technology; scaling up pilot projects; and social and behaviour change communication.
The Population Foundation of India also collaborates closely with and provides technical support to both national and state governments, as well as other NGOs.
Citations
Ali S, Haykal HA, Youssef EYM. Child Sexual Abuse and the Internet—A Systematic Review. Human Arenas 2023; 6(2): 404-21.
Joseph J, Varghese A, Vijay VR, et al. Problematic Internet Use Among School-Going Adolescents in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine 2022; 47(3): 321-7.
Kloess JA, Beech AR, Harkins L. Online child sexual exploitation: prevalence, process, and offender characteristics. Trauma, violence & abuse 2014; 15(2): 126-39.
Kedia S, Verma R, Mane P. Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Young People in India: The Missing Links During and Beyond a Pandemic. In: Pachauri S, Pachauri A, eds. Health Dimensions of COVID-19 in India and Beyond. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore; 2022: 203-17.
Carcelén-García S, Narros-González MJ, Galmes-Cerezo M. Digital vulnerability in young people: gender, age and online participation patterns. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 2023; 28(1): 2287115.
Meena J, Verma A, Kishore J, Ingle G. Sexual and Reproductive Health: Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceptions among Young Unmarried Male Residents of Delhi. International journal of reproductive medicine 2015; 2015: 431460.
Savoia E, Harriman NW, Su M, Cote T, Shortland N. Adolescents’ Exposure to Online Risks: Gender Disparities and Vulnerabilities Related to Online Behaviors. International journal of environmental research and public health 2021; 18(11).
[1] Telecasted on national television channel – Doordarshan, MKBKSH is dubbed in 11 regional languages and broadcasted to 216 All India Radio stations. 183 episodes across 3 seasons of MKBKSH had a tremendous viewership of 140 million people. Its available on YouTube to watch for free https://www.youtube.com/mainkuchbhikarsaktihoon.
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