Who’s Watching the Tech in Our Schools? | From Concerned Parents to Advocates

Your child's school hands them an internet-connected device for seven hours a day. Do you know what's on it, who chose the software, or what it's collecting? Allie Terry and Liz Jenkins didn't either. They were two moms living across the street from each other in Utah, asking questions about their kids' school Chromebooks that were easy to dismiss one at a time. Those questions became an Instagram account, then a working relationship with state legislators, and then actual legislation that passed and takes effect next fall. In this episode, Katie talks with Allie and Liz about what they found when they started looking: a fifth grader who received explicit content through a shared Google Doc, content filters that flagged problems no one at the school was reviewing, hundreds of ed-tech contracts that were never meaningfully vetted, and student data being collected and shared in ways no parent ever agreed to. They also walk through exactly how two parents with no policy background got two bills written and moved. In this episode: What's really on school Chromebooks—and who vets it How explicit content reached a fifth grader Why content filters alone aren't enough The ed-tech contracts schools carry (and why they're not properly reviewed) Student data collection and privacy violations How to read your child's school device agreement From G-Rated Schools to state legislation: how two parents created change Four things any parent can do this week—in any state AI in schools and what's coming next Resources mentioned: G-Rated Schools: https://www.instagram.com/g_rated_school/ Child First Policy Center: https://childfirstpolicy.org/ The Digital Delusion by Jared Cooney Horvath Internet Safety Labs / BYU audit of Utah school apps From The Screen Guardians: Free parent course: https://thescreenguardians.com/kids-digital-health-guide/ The Parent Portal: https://thescreenguardians.com/parent-portal/ K–12 school program: https://thescreenguardians.com/k-12/ Newsletter: https://thescreenguardians.com/subscribe/ This conversation is a powerful reminder: you don't have to be a tech expert to pay attention, ask questions, and advocate for your child. At The Screen Guardians, we believe education is the greatest form of protection. Not anti-technology. Pro-child.