Planned Parenthood’s Chatbot “Roo” Wants To Keep Teens Informed On Sex-Ed & Women’s Health
Its been a while since I have been really excited about a new internet thing, but this one takes the cake for me! With my youth work I find often that parents are not educated on Sex-Ed and/or are not willing to have a honest conversation with their children, or the youth are so not willing to go to their parents for this stuff. This is a great way to find the information and keep your privacy about your questions!
“In this environment, it’s more important than ever that we have as many methods as possible to reach people where they are for health care and education,” Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America told the Wall Street Journal. “The chatbot is one more critical tool we’re piloting to provide that information to people.”
Anyone with a smartphone can access Roo online. After explaining its privacy policy, Roo allows users to tailor their experience based on gender, with six total choices including “name your own” and the option to skip the question.
From there, users can ask Roo a question, or browse through dozens of questions sorted by topics like “Bodies,” “Relationships,” “Masturbation,” “Pregnancy,” and “Sexual Orientation & Gender.” Suggested questions range from “How do I ask someone about their preferred pronouns?” to “Can you get pregnant on your period?””
