safemind-draft1

SafeMind - Technical Recommendations

Overview

This document provides comprehensive recommendations for building SafeMind, a youth safety application that detects harmful language and unsafe conversational patterns in AI interactions.

Backend

Option 1: Node.js + TypeScript (Recommended)

Option 2: Python + FastAPI

Frontend

Option 1: React + Next.js (Recommended)

Option 2: Vue.js + Nuxt

Database

Option 1: PostgreSQL (Recommended)

Option 2: MongoDB

Hosting & Deployment (All Free Tiers)

Free Content Moderation APIs & Tools

1. Perspective API (Google Jigsaw)

Best for: General toxicity detection

2. OpenAI Moderation API

Best for: Comprehensive content safety

3. HuggingFace Models (FREE)

Best for: Custom detection & privacy

4. TensorFlow Hub / MediaPipe

Best for: Custom model deployment

Mental Health & Crisis Detection Resources

Crisis Text Line API

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Mental Health Keyword Detection

Build custom rules for:

Free NLP Tools:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   User Interface                     │
│              (Next.js + React)                       │
└──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘
                       │
                       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  API Gateway                         │
│            (Express.js / FastAPI)                    │
└──────┬─────────────┬──────────────┬─────────────────┘
       │             │              │
       ▼             ▼              ▼
┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐
│ Content  │  │ Pattern  │  │ Alert/           │
│ Analyzer │  │ Detector │  │ Notification     │
│          │  │          │  │ System           │
└──────┬───┘  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────────────┘
       │           │              │
       └───────────┼──────────────┘
                   ▼
           ┌───────────────┐
           │   Database    │
           │ (PostgreSQL)  │
           └───────────────┘

Core Components

1. Content Analyzer

2. Pattern Detector

3. Alert System

4. Dashboard

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: MVP (2-4 weeks)

  1. Basic API integration (Perspective + OpenAI Moderation)
  2. Simple text analysis endpoint
  3. Risk scoring algorithm
  4. Alert notification system
  5. Basic dashboard

Phase 2: Enhanced Detection (4-6 weeks)

  1. Add HuggingFace models
  2. Implement pattern detection
  3. Conversation history analysis
  4. Sentiment tracking
  5. Custom mental health keyword system

Phase 3: User Experience (4-6 weeks)

  1. Parent/guardian dashboard
  2. Youth privacy features
  3. Resource library integration
  4. Reporting system
  5. Analytics dashboard

Phase 4: Advanced Features (6-8 weeks)

  1. Custom model training on your data
  2. Multi-language support
  3. Platform integrations (APIs)
  4. Machine learning improvements
  5. Predictive risk modeling

Privacy & Compliance Considerations

COPPA Compliance (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act)

FERPA (if used in schools)

HIPAA (if handling health information)

General Best Practices

  1. Encryption: All data in transit (TLS) and at rest
  2. Anonymization: Hash or pseudonymize user identifiers
  3. Data retention: Clear policies on data deletion
  4. Consent: Explicit opt-in from parents/guardians
  5. Transparency: Clear explanation of monitoring

API Services

| Service | Purpose | Free Tier | Link | |———|———|———–|——| | Perspective API | Toxicity detection | 1 req/sec | https://perspectiveapi.com | | OpenAI Moderation | Content safety | Free w/ API key | https://platform.openai.com | | HuggingFace | ML models | Limited free | https://huggingface.co | | Twilio | SMS/notifications | Trial credits | https://twilio.com | | SendGrid | Email | 100/day free | https://sendgrid.com |

Infrastructure

| Service | Purpose | Free Tier | Link | |———|———|———–|——| | Vercel | Frontend hosting | Generous free | https://vercel.com | | Railway | Backend hosting | $5 credit/month | https://railway.app | | Supabase | Database + Auth | 500MB + 50k users | https://supabase.com | | Cloudflare | CDN + DDoS | Free tier | https://cloudflare.com |

Development Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Cost | |——|———|——| | VS Code | IDE | Free | | Git + GitHub | Version control | Free | | Postman | API testing | Free tier | | Discord/Slack | Team communication | Free |

{
  "frontend": {
    "framework": "Next.js 14",
    "language": "TypeScript",
    "ui": "shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS",
    "state": "Zustand or React Query",
    "deployment": "Vercel"
  },
  "backend": {
    "runtime": "Node.js 20",
    "framework": "Express.js",
    "language": "TypeScript",
    "validation": "Zod",
    "deployment": "Railway"
  },
  "database": {
    "primary": "PostgreSQL",
    "hosting": "Supabase",
    "orm": "Prisma"
  },
  "ai_services": {
    "toxicity": "Perspective API",
    "moderation": "OpenAI Moderation API",
    "ml_models": "HuggingFace Inference API",
    "custom_nlp": "spaCy"
  },
  "notifications": {
    "email": "SendGrid",
    "sms": "Twilio",
    "push": "Firebase Cloud Messaging"
  }
}

Getting Started Steps

  1. Set up development environment 
    # Install Node.js and pnpm
curl -fsSL https://get.pnpm.io/install.sh | sh -

# Create Next.js app
pnpm create next-app@latest safemind-app --typescript --tailwind --app

# Create backend
mkdir safemind-backend
cd safemind-backend
pnpm init
pnpm add express typescript @types/express @types/node
  2. Sign up for services
    • Get Perspective API key: https://developers.perspectiveapi.com/s/
    • Get OpenAI API key: https://platform.openai.com/signup
    • Create Supabase project: https://supabase.com
    • Create Vercel account: https://vercel.com
  3. Build MVP
    • Create basic API endpoint
    • Integrate Perspective API
    • Test with sample conversations
    • Build simple dashboard
  4. Iterate and expand
    • Add more detection layers
    • Implement pattern analysis
    • Build notification system
    • Refine risk scoring

Additional Resources

Learning Resources

Safety & Moderation

Communities

Risk Categories to Monitor

1. Self-Harm & Suicide

2. Violence

3. Hate Speech

4. Sexual Content

5. Substance Abuse

6. Mental Health Decline

Next Steps

  1. Review this document thoroughly
  2. Choose your tech stack based on your team’s expertise
  3. Set up development environment
  4. Create proof-of-concept with Perspective API
  5. Build incrementally following the phases outlined
  6. Consult with mental health professionals for detection criteria
  7. Consider legal counsel for privacy compliance
  8. Partner with youth organizations for testing and feedback

Questions? Feel free to ask for clarification on any section or for help implementing specific components.