The Limitations and Opportunities of Digital Check-Ins for Student Well-Being

By Dr. Brooklyn Raney, Founder of One Trusted Adult

In their ongoing quest to support student well-being, many schools have turned to digital check-in tools for tracking mood and mental health. At first glance, assessing students’ emotional states via quick, daily digital check-ins seems helpful, even essential, especially in today’s mental health landscape.

However, conversations with school leaders and psychologists, along with emerging evidence, make it clear that these tools can be problematic if used improperly. When it comes to promoting genuine well-being and building trusted relationships, tech-based check-ins are not the way to go.

Why Digital Check-Ins can be Problematic for Student Well-Being if Used Improperly:

Digital Check-Ins Create a Burden of Data Without Actionable Plans

One of the most concerning issues with daily mood check-ins is the vast volume of data they generate. Schools may collect this data with good intentions, but what happens next?

For every student who indicates they feel “low” or “anxious,” the school must respond. If school leaders and staff are not prepared to respond promptly to every student, what message are they sending? Collecting data without the resources or plan to address issues in real time can erode trust in both the system and the adults at school.

A daily check-in system implies a daily response, which is often logistically unfeasible. Schools typically lack the bandwidth for such an enormous undertaking and, as a result, students’ signals may go unanswered. This not only leads to student frustration but can create serious liability risks for schools—especially if students in need don’t receive timely follow-up.

Digital Check-Ins Offer a Snapshot, Not the Full Story

Mood check-ins capture a moment in time, and because mood fluctuates, these snapshots may not accurately reflect a student’s overall well-being. Daily data is often episodic, reflecting temporary states that don’t necessarily indicate a deeper, sustained issue.

As educators, our goal should be to understand the whole student, not just their momentary moods, which can change from hour to hour.

Reliance on these quick check-ins can oversimplify well-being and lead to misguided responses. For example, a student who marks that they are “sad” or “upset” may simply be frustrated about an assignment. Without additional context, this check-in could trigger unnecessary intervention or raise unfounded concerns.

Digital Check-In Self-Assessments Are Subjective

Another significant challenge is the subjective nature of self-reporting.

Each individual perceives their emotions and experiences uniquely, and self-assessment tools, much like pain scales, vary greatly in interpretation. A “5 out of 10” on a mental health scale might mean one thing to one student and something entirely different to another. This subjectivity, along with normal human negativity bias, can make it difficult to interpret the data meaningfully and respond in an appropriate, individualized manner.

Digital Check-Ins Create Pressure to Keep Students “Happy”

For many adults involved in supporting student mental health, the constant measurement of mood adds pressure to keep students feeling “happy” and “comfortable.” Comfort isn’t always conducive to learning, however. Growth and learning often involves discomfort, challenges, and even healthy struggles. Our primary role as educators and mentors is to guide students through these learning experiences, not to shield them from discomfort. Mentoring, advising, and caring for youth often requires us to bear witness to struggle and resist the temptation to intervene.

If digital tools constantly monitor and flag negative moods, they may send the message that discomfort is something to avoid at all costs, which is at odds with the reality of the learning process.

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Digital Check-Ins Confuse the Source of Care

Digital check-ins can inadvertently create a sense of detachment rather than fostering connection.

Recently, a school psychologist shared with me their concern that these tools can lead to a “false sense of care,” where students feel as though the technology, rather than a trusted adult, is inquiring about their well-being. While a device might offer a convenient check-in prompt, it cannot replicate the genuine human connection that comes from a trusted adult who truly listens and responds.

In one example, a dean of students related their experience of using a digital tool that ended up creating disruption rather than communicating care. Many students didn’t take the check-ins seriously and quickly learned how to manipulate the system, leading to unnecessary effort on the school’s part to check on students who weren’t actually in crisis. Ultimately, they abandoned the program due to the disconnect between the intended and actual outcomes.

 

 

So, if tech is not a replacement for check-ins and the expression of human care, what can tech help us do in schools to support student well-being?

 

Rethinking Digital Tools: School Pulse Checks, Not Personal Mood Checks

While mood and feeling assessments can be powerful reflection tools when conducted in person, tech does nothing to support or enhance the effectiveness of these tools, and, as established earlier, may even cause harm.

Where we can turn to technology to support student well-being (beyond annual climate surveys) is in using strategies like school pulse checks—quick, targeted climate gauges that capture general sentiments and attitudes within the school. These can be conducted weekly or monthly to provide meaningful feedback without the urgency and liability issues that tech-based mood check-ins generate.

Pulse checks (conducted digitally or in-person) allow students to reflect on their experience in ways that can actively shape their environment.

Here are some examples of School Pulse Checks questions that serve this purpose well:

• What can the adults at school do to best support you?

• What is one thing we could change to support your well-being and success?

• What ideas do you have for activities or new clubs at school?

• What is a class at school that every student should be required to take?

• What is one thing you have done to positively contribute to our community this year?

By focusing on such questions, pulse checks invite students to consider their environment, how they engage with it, and what can be improved.

This approach provides valuable insights into areas where school culture can evolve in positive ways. In turn, school leaders and staff receive feedback that they can realistically respond to, allowing them to engage student voice and make changes in the school environment that foster a positive climate.

Final Thoughts: The Power of Human Connection in Well-Being

Digital tools, if used thoughtfully, can indeed support student well-being. However, to create trusted relationships and foster true connection, human-to-human interaction must remain at the core. Well-being stems from authentic relationships in which students feel seen, heard, and understood by adults they can trust.

While technology can facilitate communication and provide data for school improvements, it cannot replace the foundational role of a trusted adult. As educators and mentors, we should leverage technology to ask students, “Where are you and what do you need?” and leave “How are you?” to the caring adults who know and support each student.

In doing so, we use technology to empower rather than replace the relationships that live at the heart of education.