I have said for years that governments and institutions always begin with what people will accept and then gradually expand from there. What we are now seeing in educational technology is perhaps one of the most disturbing developments, because it targets children under the guise of learning.
Studies have now confirmed that roughly 90% of commonly used school apps are transmitting tracking data, even when they are not actively being used, and many contain hidden third-party trackers operating in the background. This is not simply about helping a student complete homework or communicate with a teacher; this is continuous data collection that records behavior, interaction patterns, and device activity regardless of whether the child is even aware it is happening.
For many reading this, particularly those who did not grow up in a digital classroom, it is important to understand how pervasive these platforms have become, as students today are required to use them for nearly every aspect of their education. Assignments, testing, communication, textbooks, and grading have all moved into apps and online systems, meaning participation is no longer optional, it is mandatory. Parents assume these tools exist to support education, yet behind the curtain, they are functioning as data collection systems layered into the daily routine of children.
I see this as no different from what we witnessed with Pokémon Go, where people believed they were simply playing a game, but in reality, they were contributing to a massive data collection operation. The difference here is that children are not choosing to participate, they are required to, and instead of mapping physical locations, these systems are mapping behavior, attention spans, learning patterns, and interaction habits from a very early age.
What is being built is not just an academic record, but a behavioral profile that follows the individual over time, capturing how they think, how they respond, how long they focus, and how they engage with information. Once that data is collected, it does not simply vanish, it becomes part of a broader ecosystem that can be analyzed, shared, and monetized in ways that are rarely disclosed in plain terms.
Many of these platforms rely on third-party integrations, which means the data is not confined to a single provider but is distributed across multiple entities, each extracting value from it. This creates a web of data collection that is nearly impossible for parents to fully understand or control, and the more these systems are adopted, the more normalized this becomes.
From my perspective, this is how control expands, not through force, but through normalization. When data collection is embedded into something like a game, people participate willingly, but when it is embedded into education, it becomes institutional. That is a very dangerous shift, because it removes the ability to opt out without consequence.
We are moving into a system where data is the new currency, and the earlier it is collected, the more valuable it becomes. Starting that process in childhood creates a lifetime of behavioral data that can be used to predict, influence, and potentially control outcomes in ways that most people do not yet fully grasp.