Ethical Implications of Parent Perspectives on School-Based Online Surveillance of Youth

Cinnamon Bloss – University of California, San Diego

Abstract: The adoption of school-based online surveillance of students by U.S. schools has steadily increased over the past decade, with the goal of preventing youth suicide and school violence. Our research team is examining this emerging technology with the long-term goal of maximizing its benefits (beneficence) while preventing adverse effects (non-maleficence), especially discriminatory use (justice). A key, early step is learning about the prevalence of various outcomes of surveillance and parents’ attitudes toward surveillance. To answer these questions, we recruited a nationally representative sample of 852 U.S. parents of adolescents, who answered questions about 1) their attitudes towards school-based online surveillance and 2) their experiences with the technology in their child’s school community. Parent-reported prevalence rates of outcomes of this technology were as follows: 2.1% reported “outing” of LGBTQ+ students, 6.8% reported police involvement due to concern about violence, 8.1% reported school staff involvement due to concern about mental health, and 13.6% reported disciplinary action for inappropriate online activity. 45.1% of parents agreed with schools monitoring student online activity for mental health concerns, 59.7% agreed with monitoring for threats of violence, 46.0% agreed with monitoring students’ social media, and 67.9% agreed with contacting police if student activity suggests a threat. Our study is the first nationally representative sample assessing outcomes of school-based online surveillance. The prevalence of adverse effects, such as “outing” of LGBTQ+ students or police interactions, raises ethical concerns about this under-regulated industry.

Keywords: surveillance, privacy, technology