AUSTIN, Texas — Lightspeed Systems has launched Safety Check, a new feature of its Relay web filtering platform to manage students’ online activity in schools.

Using advanced artificial intelligence, Safety Check is designed to monitor student activity on school devices, identify students at risk, and deliver real-time alerts on activity that is indicative of self-harm or other dangers, according to a news release from Lightspeed Systems.

Previously, Safety Check was in a limited early access release, during which more than 80% of the included schools were able to identify at-risk students through the feature, according to Lightspeed Systems. The company reports that these early access users were able to identify suicidal students as well as those suffering from abuse, depression, and other concerns. 

"More than 3,000 teenagers attempt suicide every day in the U.S. alone — and most of them leave signs beforehand, including in their online activity," said Brian Thomas, president and CEO of Lightspeed Systems. "Technology can help schools identify those students and with Safety Check, we'll be able to help save more lives."

Safety Check is included with the Relay Filter at no additional charge and extends the web filter’s features and reports to:

• Work across sites, including online mail, Google docs, social media, and more.

• Work across different platforms and operating systems.

• Deliver alerts with screenshots and detail.

• Monitor all types of activity, from typed words to web visits.

• Provide dashboards, safety trend reports, and user reports as well as real-time alerts.

• Allow schools to designate authorized recipients, from safety officers to counselors to principals, by group.

• Ensure student data privacy by sharing data only with designated school personnel.

For more information about Safety Check, go here.