The Department for Education’s recent Technology in Schools Survey 2024–25 has caused something of a stir. While Westminster continues its enthusiastic march toward evermore digital classrooms, the findings raise a number of rather awkward questions about the very real risks lurking behind the screens.
For the Government, EdTech is a modern panacea: lighter workloads for teachers, more inclusivity, and pupils transformed into miniature digital natives ready to conquer tomorrow’s world. Schools, too, have been seduced by the prospect of longterm cost savings.
But beyond Whitehall’s optimism lies a growing rebellion among parents, many of whom are decidedly unconvinced. There is a rising feeling—voiced with increasing volume—that the classroom should remain a refuge from the relentless glow of screens. Pair this with the heightened public anxiety around online safeguarding, and it’s no surprise that parents are becoming particularly attentive to what their children might stumble upon on schoolissued devices.
And regrettably, their concerns are far from fanciful. Only last year, primary school pupils in Scotland managed to access explicit material on tablets provided by Glasgow City Council—despite assurances that search engines had been blocked.
The DfE survey paints an unsettling picture. While it focuses on state schools, the issues it highlights extend to the independent sector, particularly given the financial pressures many independent schools are currently facing. Tight budgets can heighten the risks associated with insufficient digital protections. While a majority of schools claim to have filtering systems in place, their effectiveness seems decidedly patchy. One in ten IT leads reported having to deal with unauthorised access by pupils—a figure almost certainly understated, as another one in ten admitted they simply didn’t know whether such incidents had occurred. Even more surprising is that some schools have no monitoring system at all. Without one, how can any institution confidently say its pupils are protected, or that its filters are doing more than giving a polite illusion of safety?
Even where schools do have monitoring and filtering, many aren’t reviewing these systems regularly—some not at all unless prompted by an incident.
This is not a uniquely British predicament. Across the Atlantic, legal action has already begun. Two cases currently live in California allege that children were harmed after accessing inappropriate content via school issued devices. While the lawsuits target Google, the implications for schools and local authorities are evident: if harm occurs through a device provided by an educational institution questions of legal liability are going to arise.
All of this adds up to a fairly clear forecast: with campaigners energised, regulatory eyes sharpening, and the DfE’s own survey highlighting systemic vulnerabilities, the UK should expect significant EdTech related litigation in 2026.
For schools, the message is unmistakable: now is the time for a long, hard look at the digital environments they have ushered into pupils’ lives. Scaling back the use of EdTech might reduce exposure, but the reality is that technology has become deeply woven into education—and pupils are becoming ever more adept at bypassing restrictions.
The real solution lies in vigilance. Filtering and monitoring systems must not only exist but be rigorously tested and reviewed with the same regularity as fire alarms or safeguarding protocols. Policies should be clear, transparent and—crucially—followed. And when something goes wrong, schools must act immediately, both to minimise harm and to shield themselves from the legal entanglements that, increasingly, seem inevitable.
After all, in today’s world, even the most traditional institutions must navigate the delicate dance between embracing innovation and protecting the children in their care. And if the DfE’s findings tell us anything, it’s that this dance is becoming more complex by the day
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