Artificial Intelligence and Maqasid al-Shariah in Mental Health: A Chatbot Design for Supporting Teen Victims of Bullying

Abstract

Bullying among teenagers continues to be a serious concern, often resulting in lasting psychological impacts such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Unfortunately, access to professional counseling services remains limited due to a shortage of mental health resources and the stigma associated with seeking help. This study introduces an AI-based chatbot designed specifically for teenage bullying victims, grounded in the ethical framework of Maqasid al-Shariah (objectives of Islamic law) to ensure culturally sensitive and holistically therapeutic interventions. The chatbot integrates the five fundamental Maqasid principles—protection of religion (ḥifẓ al-dīn), life (ḥifẓ al-nafs), intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql), lineage (ḥifẓ al-nasl), and property (ḥifẓ al-māl)—into its design architecture and response mechanisms. This framework ensures that the system not only provides immediate emotional support through empathetic and confidential conversations but also promotes spiritual well-being, preserves human dignity, and maintains ethical boundaries in accordance with Islamic principles. The chatbot utilizes natural language processing combined with Maqasid-informed algorithms to detect signs of distress while offering culturally appropriate coping strategies that address both psychological and spiritual dimensions of healing. The system includes Islamic ethics-compliant escalation features that encourage professional intervention when necessary, ensuring user privacy and data protection in alignment with Islamic values of confidentiality and trust (amanah). Initial validation demonstrates that the Maqasid-based chatbot design effectively reduces emotional burden, promotes help-seeking behavior, and provides a scalable, accessible solution for early intervention that respects Islamic ethical guidelines while addressing the mental health needs of Muslim teenagers experiencing bullying.