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All workCongressional App Challenge, three years running

TeenTalk

An AI listener for teens: type what's on your mind and get a supportive, spoken response, with crisis resources when it matters.

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When
Oct 2023
Role
Builder
Outcome
My first Congressional App Challenge entry, in 9th grade
Built with
Python, Streamlit, OpenAI GPT-3.5, gTTS
How TeenTalk responds and routes crisis messages to 988

Why I started

Teens don't always have a trusted adult to talk to when something is wrong. I wanted something that would listen at any hour and answer with compassion.

What I did

I built a Streamlit web app where a teen types their concerns. GPT-3.5, prompted to respond like a compassionate school counselor, replies in an encouraging tone, and the reply is also read aloud with text-to-speech.

If a message mentions self-harm or suicide, the app points the user to the 988 crisis line, and a clear disclaimer says it is not a substitute for professional help.

Progress so far

This was my 2023 Congressional App Challenge entry. It was my first AI app, and it started a thread that runs through Lucky today: using AI to reach people who would otherwise go without help.