Education systems across the world have become increasingly dependent on digital technologies, yet the governance needed to oversee them has not kept pace. Schools are adopting products that collect children's data, influence learning and shape educational decisions, often without independent scrutiny of how those systems operate or the risks they create.

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Children's educational experiences are mediated by commercial technologies that generate data about their behaviour, attention, performance and interaction. These systems may influence children's future opportunities, while the evidence supporting their safety and broader societal impact is not clear.

 

At the same time, the mechanisms intended to reassure schools have become part of the problem. A growing market of certifications, trustmarks and ratings often relies on vendor-supplied information claiming safety and ethical use of children's data but there is limited independent verification of these claims. Too often, confidence in digital products exceeds the evidence on which that confidence is based.

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In sectors such as medicine, aviation and engineering, assurance is supported by independent and strict inspections, licensing regimes, public accountability and ongoing oversight. Education technology and more recently AI systems coming to the calssroom have yet to develop equivalent governance. EDDS Institute exists to help close that gap through independent research and rigorous technical assessment.