Paper Title
Leveraging Computer Science Innovations to Enhance Student Mental Health

Abstract
Student mental health is an acute global issue, with increasing levels of anxiety, depression and stress among college and high-school students. Innovations in computer science, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and wearable sensors, present new possibilities for scalable support. In this systematic review, PRISMA guidelines were applied to select and analyze relevant studies from 2018–2023, incorporating 85 peer-reviewed articles in the final analysis. Outcomes from these studies are synthesized across three technology categories: AI-driven analytics and chatbots, VR exposure therapy and wearable physiological monitoring. The evidence shows that AI-based chatbots (e.g., Woebot) and social media analytics can significantly lower anxiety and depressive symptoms in students; VR-based exposure therapies yield large gains in social and school-related anxiety; and wearable devices (monitoring heart rate variability, sleep patterns, etc.) can predict stress fluctuations reliably. These technologies offer individualized, round-the-clock support that can augment traditional counseling services and can reach students who would otherwise avoid in-person counseling. Implementation, however, poses ethical and practical concerns, including data privacy, informed consent, bias in algorithms and equitable access to technology. Resolution of these concerns through culturally responsive design, on-device (edge) AI and strong policy protections will be critical. Overall, computer science innovations have significant potential for improving student mental health care if coupled with human oversight, inclusive implementation and evidence-based policy frameworks. Keywords - Artificial Intelligence (AI), Student Mental Health, Machine Learning (ML), Wearable Devices, Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy, AI Chatbots, Predictive Analytics, Ethical Challenges, Data Privacy, Human-AI Collaboration