School is back in session, but heres something no one told you at orientation: Your kids may have more eyes on them than just their teachers. Even if you dont have kids in school, you really need to know about this.Anew study from UC San Diego uncovered whats 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, theyve morphed into 24/7 surveillance machines.Enter to win a new iPhone at www.WinFromKim.com!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. Thats 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."TEXAS COMPANY CREATES DRONES TO CONFRONT SCHOOL SHOOTERS IN SECONDSImagine your kid writing an email they never send and that draft gets scooped into some monitoring companys database. Thats exactly what happened tothis teen who got suspended. Creepy doesnt even begin to cover it. Yes, theyre watching at home, tooAbout 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 schoolI think these tools can do a lot of good. God knows we dont want any more school shootings or kids slipping through the cracks.STOP GOOGLE FROM FOLLOWING YOUR EVERY MOVEBut 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 schools administrator or set up a meeting in person.Make sure your kids know that anything they do on a school-issued device is fair game. And depending on the setup, their personal phone or laptop could be tracked, too. These systems can protect, but they also raise big questions about privacy and oversight.Is this happening with your kids school?Drop me a note. Id love to talk to you about it.STOP DATA BROKERS FROM SELLING YOUR INFORMATION ONLINE Know someone with kids? Share this important information with them now.Get tech-smarter on your scheduleAward-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.Copyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.