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School is back in session, but here’s something no one told you at orientation: Your kids may have more eyes on them than just their teachers’. Even if you don’t have kids in school, you really need to know about this.
A new study from UC San Diego uncovered what’s really going on with those student safety tools schools buy. You know, the ones that are supposed to stop bullying, flag mental health struggles and prevent school shootings? Well, they’ve morphed into 24/7 surveillance machines.
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Get this: 86% of the companies that provide these services monitor kids day and night, not just during school hours and not just on school devices. That’s every Google search, every message, sometimes even at home on personal phones and laptops.
Nearly a third of these companies give kids “risk scores” based on what they type or search. The kicker? 71% rely on AI to flag behavior. Yes, an algorithm decides if your child is “risky.”
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A new study finds that school safety tools are monitoring students 24/7. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Imagine your kid writing an email they never send and that draft gets scooped into some monitoring company’s database. That’s exactly what happened to this teen who got suspended. Creepy doesn’t even begin to cover it.
📱 Yes, they’re watching at home, too
About 36% of companies monitor student-owned devices. All it takes is a school-required app, plug-in or software.
Late-night YouTube binges, private DMs and social media posts could trigger a red flag on some dashboard.
📌 Questions every parent should ask the school
I think these tools can do a lot of good. God knows we don’t want any more school shootings or kids slipping through the cracks.
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School safety programs are collecting students’ emails, messages, and web activity on their personal devices. (Photo by Sebastian Willnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
But you and your kids need to understand exactly how they work and what happens to the data. Copy these questions and send an email to the school’s administrator or set up a meeting in person.
- Is our school using GoGuardian, Bark, Gaggle, Securly, Lightspeed or any online monitoring service? What exactly are they tracking?
- Are you monitoring personal devices at home?
- What happens if my child is flagged? How can I see my child’s dashboard?
- How long is student data stored, and can parents request deletion?
- Is student data ever sold, shared or used for anything beyond monitoring?
Make sure your kids know that anything they do on a school-issued device is fair game. And depending on the setup, their personal phone or laptop could be tracked, too. These systems can protect, but they also raise big questions about privacy and oversight.
Is this happening with your kid’s school? Drop me a note. I’d love to talk to you about it.
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Students should assume that school safety programs are monitoring their devices. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
🚸 Know someone with kids? Share this important information with them now.
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