Digital Platforms and Big-Tech in Public Schools: Why Are Families and Students Concerned?

Abstract

The current process of digitisation of education is marked by the presence of digital platforms of large technology corporations or Big Tech in a growing number of schools. This process of platformisation is generating multiple challenges for the Public Administration and for global education systems. In this process of platformisation, this research explored and analysed the perceptions of parents and students regarding the use of digital platforms in public schools. A mixed methodological design was used for this purpose. In the quantitative part, data was collected from 2,330 Catalan families (Spain) with children studying in public primary or secondary schools. In the qualitative part, eight focus groups were carried out with students from six schools. The results showed that the main concerns of students and families revolve around three main issues: 1) the management of the data that companies can collect from the use of their digital platforms, 2) the educational aspects related to the use of digital platforms at school and, 3) the potential costs associated with the use of these platforms. The paper concludes that there is a need for greater involvement of the Public Administration in ensuring safer use of these digital resources in schools.