Data protection and youth protection on digital school devices

The OSKJ welcomes the use of digital devices in schools and the associated goal of promoting pupils' media skills. However, the OSKJ criticizes the fact that the terms of use on the devices provided by the schools do not fully comply with child and youth protection regulations and age restrictions as well as data protection regulations, and that the school authorities do not take responsibility for this.

Between 2020 and 2024, several orders were issued by the data protection authority to the education authority to ensure the data protection of pupils on the digital devices introduced in 2021. Some data protection issues have since been rectified or resolved by the education authority, while others continue to exist, as do all youth protection issues of which the education authority has been aware for years. The OSKJ has been demanding for years that school devices may only be used by persons under the age of 18 under supervision as long as the requirements for the protection of children and young people are not fully met. As teaching aids, the devices and applications are the responsibility of the school authorities and not the parents. To date, this recommendation has not been implemented.

It is also incomprehensible that the education authority has contested the rulings of the data protection authority instead of complying with the instructions to rectify the data protection deficiencies. In its decision of October 30, 2023, the Administrative Appeals Commission confirmed the rulings of the Data Protection Authority.

 

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