Experts warn of student surveillance as schools adopt ‘data-hungry’ technologies

Experts are calling for urgent reform to how digital technologies are used in classrooms, warning that many tools collect student data in ways that may compromise privacy and wellbeing.

Published in the Handbook of Children and Screens, the research includes contributions from leading academics at the University of South Australia (UniSA), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and other global institutions.

 

Dr Jamie Manolev, a UniSA researcher and contributing author, said that while digital technologies offer benefits in areas like access and engagement, the education sector is adopting tools faster than they can be regulated.

 

“Ed-tech products have rapidly flooded classrooms worldwide, but this has outpaced regulation and research,” Dr Manolev said. “As a result, many tools have been adopted without understanding their long-term educational or ethical impacts.”

 

The report highlights that many popular education platforms such as ClassDojo, GoGuardian and Gaggle collect detailed data from children through interactions with lessons, assessments, communication and behavioural tracking.

 

“These systems can oversimplify behaviour or learning into scores or datapoints,” Dr Manolev said. “This risks reducing children to data, raising serious concerns about privacy, surveillance and wellbeing.”

 

Teachers need more support to assess technology

 

Lead author Dr Velislava Hillman from LSE said many educators are expected to adopt new tools without the time or support to properly evaluate how they work or how student data is used.

 

“The ed-tech sector is extremely fast moving, and while teachers are committed to staying up to date, they need systemic support and better training,” Dr Hillman said. “Stronger regulation is essential to ensure these tools protect, not exploit, children.”

 

Implications for early childhood settings

 

Although the report focuses on schools, its findings have clear implications for early learning services using digital platforms for documentation, communication or learning portfolios.

 

In ECEC settings, questions around data minimisation, parental consent and ethical technology use are just as important, especially as digital tools, AI-powered learning aids and communication apps become more common.

 

The authors argue that children should not only be taught with technology, but about it. Educators need clearer guidance on what data is collected, where it goes and who benefits.

 

“We must prioritise children’s interests to safeguard their future in an increasingly digitised learning environment,” Dr Hillman said.