January 1, School Safety Tech Turning Into Student Spying

Wyatt’s Take

• Most schools now use safety tech that tracks kids day and night.
• Some companies use AI to give students secret ‘risk scores.’
• Parents may not realize their kids’ home devices are being watched too.

A new report from researchers at UC San Diego shows school safety software is doing a lot more than stopping fights or flagging troublemakers. It’s become around-the-clock monitoring for many kids, even when they’re at home and not just on school computers.

About 86% of these technology companies are checking personal searches and messages outside school hours—sometimes even on phones and laptops kids own themselves. Nearly a third use what’s typed or searched to label kids as a ‘risk.’ The study found that 71% of the tracking relies on computer algorithms, not people, to make these decisions.

One case saw a teenager get suspended over a simple draft email that never even got sent. Once a device or app is installed—sometimes by the school’s orders—it opens the door for these tech companies to watch kids privately while they’re at home. Late-night videos or messages can end up on a distant dashboard.

Before trusting these tools, parents should ask schools what tech is being used, what gets tracked, what happens if a child is flagged, how long information is kept, and who has access to the data. Many families don’t even realize schools might monitor home devices simply because a school app is there. These tools can save lives, but they also raise big questions about privacy, safety, and who gets to see our kids’ lives outside of the classroom.

Every parent should know how this works and talk to their school about it. Tell your friends about it too—it could be happening beyond your own family.

Read more here

Wyatt Matters

Protecting our children matters, but privacy at home is something folks in the heartland value. We want safe schools, but no one should have to trade family trust for safety. Strong communities know where to draw the line.