Parents, not unmonitored IT staff, should guide their child’s digital journey. When network engineers or tech administrators read through private chats, documents, or search history, it erodes trust and risks misuse. With tools like LineWize™ giving parents real-time alerts and controls, families can step in immediately while safeguarding both privacy and student well-being. Oversight matters, because student data is too sensitive to leave unchecked.

Parents deserve to know who is accessing their child’s digital life and why. When non-educational staff, such as network engineers or technology administrators, read through a student’s Google Docs history, private peer conversations, chats with AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, or even YouTube viewing history, it crosses into deeply personal territory. These professionals are not trained in child development, counseling, or classroom management; yet they are being placed in the role of silently evaluating whether a child’s thoughts or conversations raise “concern.” This undermines trust and strips away the parent’s right to be the first line of guidance and support. Today, parents already have access to tools like LineWize™ and similar platforms that provide real-time alerts on concerning keywords, online activity, and access times. These systems are built to empower parents to engage directly with their children instead of relying on a behind-the-scenes technology staff member to “guess” what might be important.

The dangers of unchecked access are too great to ignore. Without strong oversight and accountability, technology staff can quietly enter private spaces, student records, messages, search histories, with little to no transparency. This lack of boundaries not only jeopardizes student privacy but also creates opportunities for misuse, abuse of authority, or simple misinterpretation of a child’s online activity. Parents must remain informed and in control, both to protect their children’s privacy and to reinforce the fundamental truth: guiding a child’s digital journey is a parental responsibility, not the job of an unmonitored IT department.