KindEd Social Media Literacy

KindEd

KindEd Social Media Literacy

KindEd provides K-12 social media literacy to develop agency and healthy social media mindsets and usage for youth.

Chicago, IL, USA

USA

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

​Adolescents are growing up in a hyperdigital world where social media, and now AI, play a central role in shaping their identities, brain development, relationships, and well-being. In the U.S., 95% of teens aged 13–17 use social media, with over a third engaging almost constantly. This constant use is linked to rising mental health risks, including anxiety, depression, and cyberbullying. Marginalized youth, particularly those from low-income communities, are disproportionately affected. Many have limited access to safe, offline spaces or extracurricular activities, leading to more screen time and greater exposure to harmful content. Despite the impact of social media on youth well-being, most schools lack the resources or curriculum to address it. Traditional digital literacy programs do not cover the emotional or behavioral effects of social media, leaving students without guidance on how to navigate it responsibly. Contributing factors include the addictive design of platforms, a lack of digital and AI literacy, and limited support in schools and communities. These elements collectively hinder youths' ability to engage with technology in a healthy and informed manner.​ The rise of generative and predictive AI could accelerate the digital divide, repeating the same harms we saw with social media.

KindEd is a school-based, inquiry-driven curriculum that helps students build self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and healthier habits around social media and AI. We treat social media as its own topic, not just a part of digital citizenship or SEL. Our lessons explore how platforms influence identity, relationships, behavior, and mental health. Students engage with real-world scenarios, reflect on their experiences, and create class norms around phone and social media use. Teachers guide the process, but students lead the conversation, making the content relevant and meaningful to their lives. We define social media broadly to include any platform designed to hold attention or influence behavior. This includes social networks, content apps, gaming platforms, and shopping tools. Our curriculum helps students understand how algorithmic design and AI shape what they see, how they think, and how they engage online. To scale our model, we use adaptive learning technology. Our platform applies Natural Language Processing and sequence-to-sequence models to analyze student responses and generate tailored prompts. This allows students to engage with content at their level and supports deeper reflection and discussion. By combining learning science with adaptive technology, KindEd helps students navigate the digital world with intention, awareness, and confidence.

We serve K–12 students, focusing on girls and youth in underserved communities who face greater risks online and have fewer resources to navigate them. Girls are more likely to struggle with body image, low self-worth, and social comparison- driven by filters, algorithms, and pressure to conform on visual platforms. Youth in low-income communities often spend more time online due to limited access to extracurriculars or safe offline spaces. Yet most schools lack dedicated curriculum to help students build healthy digital habits. This leaves them exposed to harmful content without the tools or guidance to manage it. Our curriculum helps students build self-awareness about how social media affects them emotionally and mentally. By reflecting on their habits and understanding how platform design influences behavior, students begin to make more intentional decisions about when, why, and how they engage. This improves the quality of their digital interactions while reducing time spent on harmful activities like doomscrolling, leading to decreases in negative mental health effects. Through inquiry-based lessons, students build critical thinking, agency, and healthier digital habits. Educators, families, and communities are engaged to create a supportive ecosystem that reinforces learnings for students as they pursue long-term digital wellness.