The Rationale for Digital Monitoring
By Dr. Christine Powell
As a teacher and a parent, I see the issue of school districts collecting personal student data from two sides. These school-issued devices are powerful learning tools, yet they raise serious questions about what schools are doing with the information collected and how we can ensure student safety without compromising their privacy.
School districts buy computers and load multiple subscription based learning programs. The large number of programs and the wide variety of data collected raise significant privacy concerns. A December 2022 report found that a high percentage of apps used by schools share data with third parties, including advertisers, often without the school’s or parents’ knowledge or consent. This practice has led to calls for greater transparency and stricter regulations regarding student data privacy.
In addition to learning programming, districts also approve imbedding student computer monitoring programs with the intention of creating a digital safety net. These systems scan for specific keywords and phrases associated with sex, and risks like self-harm, violence, and bullying. If a student is repeatedly searching for sexually inappropriate material, ways to hurt themselves, or using hateful language, the system flags it for review. ( my school uses a program called GoGuardian). The overall goal of this program is to provide a preemptive warning, allowing staff, mainly school guidance counselors, to intervene before a crisis occurs. This is seen as a ‘Red Flag’, especially given the rise in student mental health crises and violence (1). The primary goal is to protect students from harm and fulfill legal obligations, like the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
The programs that are used are designed to provide a layer of security in an increasingly sophisticated digital world. As students work on their laptops, if an alert is triggered, a designated staff member, such as a teacher, school counselor or administrator, reviews the context. This allows them to distinguish between a genuine threat and a misunderstanding. A simple conversation may take place for a minor issue, while a more serious concern will lead to parents being called and, if necessary, connection to mental health support services.
The Invasion of Privacy and Its Unintended Consequences
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The use of these monitoring programs has many individuals concerned to include educators, parents and medical health professionals. While the intent of these programs is all about safety, the practice can be an invasion of privacy and impact learning. Research from Harvard Berkman Klein Center at shows that this constant surveillance can create a “chilling effect” on students. Making them hesitant to express their true thoughts or explore sensitive topics online for fear of being flagged (2). This can impact creative thinking skills and discourage students from seeking information out of fear of judgment or disciplinary action.
While there are benefits to spotting students having challenges, these programs are not without flaws. They routinely generate false positives, misinterpreting slang or a student’s creative writing as a genuine threat. Some studies have found that marginalized groups, to include students with disabilities and LGBTQ+ youth, are disproportionately affected by these systems (3). This raises concerns about how monitoring data could be used in ways that perpetuate existing biases or inadvertently out students to their families, which could have dangerous consequences. As there are often minimal legal frameworks governing what data is collected, how long it is stored, and with whom it is shared, this raises the potential for more invasive data collection in the future.
The effectiveness of these programs relies on more than just technology. It requires a partnership between the school and families. Parents must be aware of their school’s policies and have open conversations with their children about online safety and digital citizenship. By setting family rules for device usage and encouraging open communication, parents can create an environment where their child feels safe sharing their concerns, both online and off. Ultimately, while technology can be a valuable tool for student safety, we have to ask ourselves how much data collection is needed.
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Christine
Sources
????Exploding Topics. (2024). Average Screen Time for Teens.
????Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. (2022). Student Digital Monitoring and Privacy.
????The Regulatory Review. (2022). The Unintended Consequences of Self-Harm Monitoring Software.
