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Schools spy on kids even at home
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.
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.”
Imagine your kid writing out a text they never send and that draft gets scooped into some company’s database. 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.
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?
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AI meets true crime
In late November 1987, Nashville police got a call about a revolting stench on Charlotte Avenue. What they found under a dirt-floor crawl space shocked even the most hardened crime scene veterans: two decomposing bodies, buried and forgotten beneath a broken-down home.
🔙 Jump back to Google results on Mac: In Safari, if you’ve clicked through a bunch of links from a Google search, don’t tap the back button over and over. Instead, press Command + Option + S to snap right back to your most recent search results.
📬 Dad jokes? I think you mean pun-ishment: A retired teacher with a Ph.D. is handwriting hundreds of emotional, intentionally corny letters to strangers who just want a dad-style pep talk. The “Dad Letter Project” exploded overnight on TikTok. It’s like getting a warm hug and a bad joke from someone else’s highly literate father. No AI. Just authentic dad energy. So awesome. Speaking of… “Dad, are we pyromaniacs?” “Yes, we arson.” 🔥
Google’s $2,800 folding phone
Google just unveiled its most expensive smartphone ever: the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Closed, you get a 6.4-inch outer screen. Open it up, and bam: a massive 8-inch display.
$12.99 per month
That’s the new price of Apple TV+, up from $9.99. If you’re already subscribed, you’ll see the price change 30 days after your next renewal date. Some good news? Yearly TV+ subscriptions and the Apple One services bundle aren’t changing. At least not yet. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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Still swiping your credit card? You’re putting your number on display. Contactless payments like Apple or Google Pay are faster, safer, and way smarter.
Their faces went viral without them: TikTok paid actors as little as $500 to license their faces for AI avatars (paywall link), which are now appearing in ads for horoscope apps, supplements and insurance quotes, even in other languages, sometimes on other platforms like YouTube. The actors don’t get royalties, can’t control the content and didn’t realize how far it would go. It was all in the fine print.
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Are schools spying on your kids at home?
Your kid might be under 24/7 school surveillance, even at home. George, your AI host, breaks down how student safety tools like GoGuardian and Gaggle track everything from late-night YouTube binges to unsent messages. Plus: a $750 PayPal password dump, biometric TSA fast lanes, Steph Curry’s AI jump shot coach, and five cool science experiments hiding in your phone.
Charlie Chaplin’s in theaters after 100 years
Charlie Chaplin famously rereleased his 1925 silent classic The Gold Rush in 1942 with new narration and edits, believing it would connect better with modern audiences. Now, thanks to film archivists and AI, the silent masterpiece has been painstakingly restored. The 4K version just premiered at Cannes and hit 250 theaters worldwide.
Remember when computers took up half the desk? Apple’s testing a new more powerful version of its Tupperware-size Mac mini with a next-gen M5 chip. More speed, smoother graphics, same tiny size. Rumored to cost $600, which is less than you paid for your Dell in 1998. I use a Mac mini with a Pro Display XDR every day!
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Turn off Windows 11 notifications: Some app alerts get annoying fast. Go to Settings > System > Notifications > Notifications from apps and other senders, and toggle off the ones you don’t want. To silence them all, go back to Settings > System > Notifications, and turn it off completely.
China built a pregnancy robot
A $14K baby-making machine? Yep, it’s real. Charles in Atlanta calls in to see if AI can help his band land more gigs. Plus: an $800K gold scam, a Bluetooth hack you need to know, and Amazon’s used car lot.
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