Empowering young minds with AI and human flourishing

When Luanna Eroles founded Happy Kids, she did so driven by purpose and the realisation that her skills could make a far greater difference supporting positive mental health in preteens, teenagers and young adults. With a background in healthtech and life‑insurance risk assessment, she had seen a troubling pattern: mental‑health issues were rising sharply after the Covid‑19 pandemic, with the steepest increase among teenagers. “Mental health was costing more to many insurance companies than cancer,” she recalls. Rising prescriptions and diagnoses among children made it clear that early, preventive support was missing.

Preventive mental health for a new generation

Happy Kids aims to provide that support by focusing on positive psychology, and in particular on the science of human flourishing. The app is designed to measure five key pillars, including hopefulness, to help young people understand where they can grow. “We do not tell them that there is a problem, but we show them where they can invest to become stronger,” Ms Eroles explains.

A distinctive feature of the platform is its ability to use language as a marker of well‑being. Small phrases teenagers use about themselves can reveal powerful insights into how they are coping. As Ms Eroles explains, “When someone says something like ‘This always happens to me’, words like ‘always’ are highly significant. These patterns appear very clearly in language, which is why AI can detect them.” 

Research supports this approach. Ms Eroles points to a study from the United States showing that counties where people posted more angry or negative language on Twitter also recorded higher rates of heart‑disease mortality. Even if the research is correlational, the study nonetheless paints a vivid picture of how everyday language can reflect deeper patterns of well‑being.

We want to empower Beyonders, so every kid can grow towards their fullest potential.” Luanna Eroles, Happy Kids

A social impact mission rooted in Luxembourg

Happy Kids is a Social Impact Company (SIS), a hybrid model that operates commercially but reinvests its profits into its mission. Funding takes the form of donations rather than investments, which helps the team maintain its focus on social value. This structure enables strong partnerships with schools, families and psychologists. A key milestone was the support of the André Losch Foundation, which is funding the translation of their resilience curriculum and backing a pilot project that places full‑time trainers in schools.

Responsible use of AI is central to the platform. To meet educational guidelines on AI usage as required by the AI Act, some features are being adapted, and the team collaborates with LuxProvide, Luxembourg’s national high‑performance computing centre, as well as experts from the Hive network, which supports healthtech innovators across Europe. “You cannot go very fast with AI for minors. We are refining everything step by step,” Ms Eroles says.

Luxembourg provides an ideal environment for this type of innovation. “I feel very well placed here. There is an atmosphere of becoming,” she reflects. With national data services, cybersecurity support and close access to decision makers, the country offers an ecosystem that encourages safe and ambitious ideas. “It is a place of opportunities.”

Global doors opening and ambitions ahead

Happy Kids is drawing international attention. Ms Eroles explains that she met representatives from the Ministries of Education in Singapore and Oman who are exploring how human‑flourishing approaches can strengthen their education systems. She notes that human flourishing already appears in new OECD guidance and in national frameworks in the United States, India, the United Kingdom and Australia. Yet, as she observes, “digital solutions working in this area are unknown”. Happy Kids aims to change that.

Following their selection as finalists for a global social‑entrepreneurship competition in Washington, the team became the only European startup recognised as a finalist for the AI Impact Summit in India in the “AI by HER: Global Impact Challenge” category highlighting female entrepreneurs driving innovative AI solutions. “As a female founder, just being there was the biggest prize,” Ms Eroles reflects. For her, being one of the Global Top 30 AI Solutions for Social Impact at the summit, the final stage of the challenge, also signals something larger: human flourishing is not only gaining momentum, it resonates across cultures and continents.

Looking ahead, the team plans to expand its resilience programme across Luxembourg, from schools to youth centres, while continuing to evolve its technology. “We want to give back to Luxembourg with the social impact we can,” Ms Eroles says.

Supporting the next generation of women in tech

As a woman in tech, her experience has been shaped not by barriers, but by opportunities to bridge communication and technology. “I was always in teams where everyone else was male and they were glad there was a woman,” she says with a smile. Her advice for future female founders is straightforward: focus on purpose. “If you are passionate, you will have the resilience needed to keep going.”

She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to explore Luxembourg’s support structures, particularly the Social Business Incubator, which helps founders shape ideas into impactful ventures. She also highlights the unique strengths women bring to the field. “There are aspects in terms of empathy and impact. They are not exclusive to women, but many women have them naturally.”