In an era where technology connects the world but also amplifies its darkest corners, 17-year-old Fia Inamdar is showing how compassion and innovation can reclaim digital spaces. A student at Kodaikanal International School, Fia has turned her own painful experience with cyberbullying into a nationwide movement for mental health and online safety.

In 2022, she co-founded Mind Over Matter, India, a youth-led organization that dismantles the stigma surrounding mental health and creates safe spaces for young people to speak openly. The initiative has already touched more than a thousand lives through walkathons, gratitude journals, art competitions, and peer-dialogue programs. It’s a movement rooted in empathy and powered by action.

Her latest venture, CyBud, is a natural extension of that mission. CyBud is an AI-powered chatbot that serves as a digital friend to students facing cyberbullying or emotional distress. It listens, guides, and when necessary, connects users to professional mental health resources — ensuring that no young person has to navigate online trauma alone. “CyBud isn’t just a chatbot,” says Fia. “It’s a reminder that technology can care, too.”

The urgency of her work was underscored recently when actor Akshay Kumar revealed that his 13-year-old daughter had been targeted during an online game — a shocking incident that reminded the nation how unsafe the internet can be for children. Kumar’s call for cyber safety education in schools aligns perfectly with what Fia has been championing for years: that digital literacy must include emotional intelligence and mental well-being.

But Fia’s story isn’t limited to her advocacy. She’s a powerhouse of talent and resilience. A 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo, she has represented India in national and international tournaments. She also represented the country in speed skating from 2012 to 2018 and continues to excel in track and field. Off the field, her creativity takes flight through aerial dance, cultural performances, and art therapy projects. She is also a certified PADI open-water scuba diver, embracing challenges above and below the surface.

Her commitment to service extends beyond digital spaces. Fia has taught Math and English to underprivileged children, helped install sustainable stoves in rural India through the Smokeless Stove Initiative, and collected over 100 pairs of shoes for her Barefoot Project. Her campaigns against female foeticide and the sexualization of women in media reflect her deep commitment to social justice and equality.

A 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo, Fia has represented India on international platforms with remarkable consistency. She competed in Korea (2016), Thailand (2018), and again in 2023, bringing home multiple accolades and embodying discipline, resilience, and leadership through sport. These experiences, she says, taught her “the importance of balance — between strength and empathy, focus and compassion,” qualities that now define both her activism and her innovation through CyBud.

As Fia prepares to pursue psychology and technology at university, her goal is clear — to design interventions that merge science, empathy, and innovation. Through CyBud, she envisions a world where artificial intelligence becomes an ally in emotional healing.

In a time when online threats are becoming alarmingly real, Fia Inamdar’s journey is a reminder that courage and compassion can rewrite the code of the internet — making it safer, kinder, and deeply human once again.

From Survivor To Innovator: How Fia Inamdar Is Building A Safer Internet For The Next Generation