{"id":99439,"date":"2023-07-31T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cdt.org\/?post_type=insight&p=99439"},"modified":"2025-04-11T10:10:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T14:10:43","slug":"report-beyond-the-screen-parents-experiences-with-student-activity-monitoring-in-k-12-schools","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/cdt.org\/insights\/report-beyond-the-screen-parents-experiences-with-student-activity-monitoring-in-k-12-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Report \u2013\u00a0Beyond the Screen: Parents\u2019 Experiences with Student Activity Monitoring in K-12 Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"CDT
CDT Research report, entitled “Beyond the Screen: Parents’ Experiences with Student Activity Monitoring in K-12 Schools.” Illustration of a laptop, browser windows and social media posts being monitored \u2013 and the hands of adults reaching in to understand not just what’s being flagged, but the system itself and its impacts.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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This report is also authored by Hugh Grant-Chapman, Independent Consultant<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The role of technology in K-12 education continues to grow, and schools across the U.S. are turning to monitoring technologies to track students\u2019 online activity. Yet, as student activity monitoring has become commonplace, students and parents report concerns about irresponsible uses of these tools even as they recognize their potential benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two years, CDT has investigated the rise in popularity of student activity monitoring technology, and the benefits and risks it poses to students\u2019 well-being. Survey research conducted last summer revealed that 9 out of 10 secondary school teachers report that their schools use student activity monitoring technology and that these tools are used for disciplinary applications more often than for student safety (Laird et al., 2022<\/a>). In addition, 44 percent of teachers report that a student in their schools was contacted by law enforcement because of student activity monitoring, and 29 percent of LGBTQ+ students report that they or someone they know were involuntarily \u201couted\u201d due to this technology (Laird et al., 2022<\/a>). These trends indicate that student activity monitoring may be negatively impacting the well-being and safety of a large proportion of students. Further, Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ students report experiencing disproportionate harm compared to other students (Laird et al., 2022<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To examine these impacts in greater depth, CDT recently conducted twenty interviews with parents whose children have experienced short- and long-term consequences based on the use of student activity monitoring technology. This new research sheds light on the first-hand experiences of students and their families who were impacted by student activity monitoring. The stories of these parents paint a more complete picture of the effects of student activity monitoring on students, the ways schools respond to the information collected, and the changes parents want to see if these systems continue to be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CDT\u2019s interviews with parents identified six main findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n