Student Surveillance Tools Raise Concerns
As the school year kicks off, there’s an important point that often goes unmentioned during orientation—your child could be under more scrutiny than just that of their teacher. Even parents without kids in school should pay attention to this.
Recent research from UC San Diego has highlighted a startling truth about school safety tools. Designed to combat bullying, identify mental health issues, and prevent school shootings, many of these tools have morphed into a form of around-the-clock surveillance.
Surprisingly, around 86% of companies providing these services track students continuously—not just during school hours, but also on devices used at home. This monitoring includes everything from Google searches to messages sent, and sometimes extends even to personal devices like phones and laptops.
Furthermore, nearly a third of these companies generate a “risk score” from the data collected on what students type or search for online. Alarmingly, 71% of these enterprises utilize AI algorithms to flag potentially concerning behavior, meaning a computer could label your child as “dangerous.”
Consider a scenario where a student writes a draft email but never sends it. That draft could end up in a database utilized by multiple surveillance companies—a situation that raises serious ethical questions.
And yes, it gets even more invasive; about 36% of companies monitor devices owned by students outside of school. As long as the correct apps or software are installed, the monitoring extends into students’ personal lives, potentially flagging late-night YouTube sessions or private social media messages.
I think tools like these have the potential to do good, especially in light of the pressing need to prevent tragedies like school shootings. But a healthy skepticism about their implications is necessary.
It’s critical for parents and students to grasp exactly how these systems function and where the data is going. It’s a good idea to reach out to school administrators with these questions:
- Which online monitoring services does our school use, and what exactly do they track?
- Do they monitor personal devices at home?
- If my child is flagged, what steps are taken? Can I see my child’s monitoring dashboard?
- What happens to the data collected? Can parents request its deletion?
- Is any student data sold or shared in ways that extend beyond surveillance?
Students should understand that their activities on school-issued devices are fair game for monitoring. Depending on how things are set up, personal devices may also be tracked, raising significant privacy concerns.
If you suspect similar monitoring is active at your child’s school, please let me know. It’s important to share this information.
Let’s work together to ensure that students are safe—and informed—without sacrificing their privacy.
