Edtech and Ethics: Technological Approaches to Monitoring Suicide Risk in UK Secondary Schools

In line with a national push towards integrating artificial intelligence and technology-based approaches in mental health, many UK schools have begun to invest in new, relatively low cost, mental health monitoring software. This software uses natural language processing to scan through hundreds of gigabytes of naturally occurring digital data, which are then used as a source of information about students’ mental health, for instance, monitoring suicide risk.

To study this new field, I first discuss the current literature around the ethics of suicide monitoring more generally, looking at themes including clinical utility, privacy, surveillance, protest rights, autonomy, and beneficence. Ultimately, I find that there is currently no research focusing on the way UK teachers use these tools to assess the risk and intervene accordingly. This project addresses this gap.

My methodology consists of three key components: a mapping review; systems analysis; and qualitative interviews.

Approach 1: I map the field of “EdTech for Suicide Risk Prediction”, exploring the nine companies providing these tools in UK schools, and other stakeholders involved in this method of suicide risk prediction. Who are the actors in this field? What types of tools are being created, and how many schools have subscribed to use these tools? What of this data is available, and what is ignored, excluded, or made unavailable to the public?

Approach 2: I outline a theoretical framework, using the Systems Approach, to frame my inquiry into the roles and responsibilities of different actors to work within the school context.

Approach 3: I introduce an empirical project designed to capture qualitative data on teachers’ values and preferences on this technology.