Kids Under Surveillance!

Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

Today’s kids and teens are increasingly under surveillance, including by their own schools and parents. In some ways this is nothing new. Adults have always monitored kids for risk. But in today’s digital age, there are so many more ways to watch our kids’ every move – social media, cell phones, e-mail, even school apps intended for learning.

A lot of kids and even parents don’t know what kinds of surveillance schools are conducting on students, and many kids may not be aware of how their own parents are keeping tabs. While the aim is to keep kids safe, we don’t yet have enough data to show how it’s working. Do these efforts actually keep kids safer, or do the consequences outweigh the benefits? On today’s episode, Gene and Steve discuss the challenges parents and schools face, and why it’s important to balance oversight with maintaining trust between adults and kids.

Thanks for joining in this conversation. Do you have questions or comments about the digital surveillance of young people? E-mail us!

Media List

• Under digital surveillance: how American schools spy on millions of kids (The Guardian)
• When Schools Use Tech To Monitor Students Online, Class Is Always In Session (NPR, On Point)
• ‘It’s up to us as parents’: Protecting your children from online exploitation (NBC15, Madison)
• Why Parents Should Never Cyber-Snoop or Monitor Their Kids Online, According to a Tech Expert (Fatherly)
• ‘Don’t leave campus’: Parents are now using tracking apps to watch their kids at college (Washington Post)
• Black Mirror – Arkangel | Official Trailer (YouTube)
• Civil rights, disabilities groups urge Florida to stop building student database they call ‘massive surveillance effort’ (Washington Post)
• As Bushfires Rage, Australia Faces Another Challenge: Protecting National Mental Health (TIME)
• Is The News Too Scary for Kids? (New York Times Parenting)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Episode research by Josh Eng

Music by Gene Beresin

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