Back to school means more than just books and homework. Parents, check your kids’ devices now for school-installed spyware that uses AI to monitor texts, searches, and online activity, even at home, and may be watching your entire family. Here’s what you need to know.
Schools spy on kids even at home
Midjourney
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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📺 Cast your Chromebook to a TV: Want a bigger screen for movies or presentations? Make sure your Chromebook and smart TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. Open the Chrome browser, click the three-dot menu (top right), select Cast and choose your TV from the list of available devices.
Use a Bluetooth mouse on iPad: Put your mouse in pairing mode, then on your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth and look under Other Devices. Tap to pair, and once it connects, a cursor will appear. FYI: You’ll need iPadOS 13.4 or later and a compatible mouse (here’s one on sale).
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Share your phone’s internet: Turn your mobile data into Wi-Fi for other devices. On iPhone, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle Allow Others to Join. On Android, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Then, on your laptop or tablet, open Wi-Fi settings and connect to your phone’s hotspot name.
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📺 Block the binge: Netflix loves to autoplay the next episode, but you can turn this off. On desktop, click your account picture and select Manage Profiles. Choose Your Profile, go to Playback settings and toggle off Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices. Now hit Save at the bottom.
📚 Connect headphones to your Kindle: You can listen to audiobooks straight from your Kindle with Bluetooth headphones. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and toggle on Bluetooth. Now tap Bluetooth devices, put your headphones in pairing mode and select them from the list. Not showing up? Hit Rescan.
See where your Google account’s signed in: Google shows a list of devices you’ve used in the last 28 days, along with their locations. Notice something suspicious? Sign it out and change your password ASAP. Remember, you might see multiple sessions from the same device, so don’t panic too fast.
🔌 Running out of power outlets? I use multi-plug extenders around my house. Here’s one for under $10 that turns 2 wall outlets into 5. It also adds 4 USB ports, so you can charge multiple devices at once. Oh, and there’s a built-in 1680-joule surge protector to keep your electronics safe. You’re welcome.
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Add Bluetooth devices to your PC: If your Windows computer has Bluetooth, you can connect a wireless mouse or headset. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices and make sure Bluetooth is toggled On. Click Add device and choose Bluetooth. Put your gadget in pairing mode, select it when it shows up and hit Done.
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Use AirDrop to share from your iPad: Quickly send photos, docs or links to nearby Apple devices. For example: In Photos, select what you want, tap the Share icon and choose AirDrop. Nearby devices will show up under People. Tap the one you want. It’ll ding on their end, and they’ll be asked to accept.
🧨 Inside job: Security researchers tricked Google’s Gemini into turning on smart home devices using a Google Calendar invite. When Gemini was asked to “summarize the week,” it unknowingly ran booby-trapped prompts that lit up devices in Tel Aviv. It’s the first known AI attack with physical consequences.
🔋 A secret Android battery drainer: Scan for nearby devices constantly uses your Bluetooth. Turn it off in Settings > Google > All services > Devices. Check your phone’s version under Settings > Connections > More connection settings, and switch off Nearby device scanning, too.
Connect Bluetooth gear to your Fire Stick: Watching TV late at night? Pair some wireless headphones. On your Fire Stick, go to Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices > Add Bluetooth Devices. Make sure your gadget’s in Pairing Mode, select it on-screen and you’re all set.
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😠 Stop Netflix trailer spoilers: They can ruin everything the second you open the app, so turn ’em off. On a web browser, click your profile picture (top right) > Manage Profiles > select your profile > Playback settings > and uncheck Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices > then hit Save. You’re welcome.
Left your iPhone behind? Your Apple Watch can let you know. Press the Digital Crown > go to Find Devices > select your iPhone > tap Notifications > Notify When Left Behind, then toggle it On.