In a past era, the subject of youth cybersecurity was broached only by the occasional rinky-dink PBS cartoon (looking at you, Cyberchase).
Yet in 2026, students across educational institutions stand at significant risk of online predators, cyber terrorists and virtual gangs.
However, these dangers balance with the significant improvements advanced technology can bring to educational systems across the board. In the 2026 legislative session, both Utah legislature and senate passed House Bill 42, which protects Utah children against online dangers. However, the bill sets a precedent against AI glasses in the classroom which is not good. HB42 should be signed into law after minor changes to its text allowing for more inclusive wearable technology use.
High stakes cyberchase
Utah’s youth are at significant risk of falling victim to the deceptions of bad-faith actors online. These malicious forces are particularly active in Utah, with the scope of their objectives extending beyond sexually predatory behavior into misanthropy, anarchism and nihilism.
According to a 2026 open letter from the FBI field office in Boston, “nihilistic violent extremists” online seek to groom young children by instigating feelings of depression and exclusion.
“Members of these networks connect with children and other at-risk individuals online through mobile messaging apps, social media and gaming platforms, then manipulate or coerce them into producing and sharing graphic content, child sexual abuse material, or engaging in acts of animal cruelty, self-harm, or violence,” the letter says. “It’s a tactic known as sadistic online exploitation.”
There have been numerous instances of such online predatory activity in Utah. Last November, a 14-year-old girl in Utah County was lured and assaulted by a classmate through online messages. Another Utah County case last fall involved a 17-year-old girl receiving sadistic threats from an unknown number on WhatsApp.
Nihilist extremists are known to organize and spread their message through virtual gangs such as 764 and No Lives Matter. These groups celebrate and encourage inflicting violence on innocent people, and ally themselves with the occult and satanic. Minecraft, Discord and Telegram are among the services these extremists use to deceive other children into a hateful worldview.
This online nihilism may have influenced Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, a Saint George native, though his true motives remain mostly rooted elsewhere. Nevertheless, ‘to kirk’ someone has since become a dog whistle employed by nihilist online predators. One recent incident in Salt Lake County last November involved a 14-year-old girl manipulated by an online predator into threatening to ‘kirk’, or shoot, students at her school.
The stakes are high in the prevention of these heinous online crimes, and HB42’s passage could make it significantly harder for dark forces to prey upon the innocent online.
Control-alt-bill
HB42 serves to fortify cybersecurity requirements for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and expand their access to cybersecurity resources. These include the Utah Cyber Center and Utah Education and Telehealth Network. It provides for the establishment of minimum cybersecurity standards for LEAs. These standards “align with industry recognized cybersecurity frameworks [and] take into account varying [LEA] resources, capacity, and needs.”
The bill also mandates collaboration between the Utah Cyber Center, State Board of Education, and Utah Education and Telehealth Network. It also tightens minimum response times and reporting procedures for breaches of cybersecurity.
“An LEA shall notify the state board within 24 hours of discovering [a] data breach,” the bill reads. “The Cyber Center shall provide assistance to an LEA in the same manner the Cyber Center provides assistance to a governmental entity.”
However, the bill also expands existing prohibitions against wearable technology use. The bill gives LEAs broad authority to restrict the use of AI glasses and other wearable technologies, such as smart watches and cell phones. There are exceptions only in rare and specific cases, mostly just emergencies. Otherwise, use of these devices is left to the whims of the individual school district or charter school administration.
Cybernetic enhancements
As technology advances, opportunities to cheat in school increase, but so do the opportunities for enhanced learning. AI glasses allow students to gather information hands-free, reducing the anti-social barrier of having to look down at a phone.
Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities in AI glasses are useful in both instruction and to help students with accessibility needs. Students with low vision can use AI glasses to magnify small text. Hearing-impaired students benefit from real-time captions and sign language live lecture translation on the Heads-Up Display (HUDs). These types of glasses also assist students with mental and social disabilities by breaking large tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces on the HUD.
Dr. Mary Hemphill, senior fellow at The Center for Model Schools, emphasized in an interview with EdTech Magazine the impact AI glasses could have on students with accessibility needs if properly implemented.
“A powerful example of this in action is in a district I’ve worked with that pilots smart glasses to support students with autism,” Hemphill said. “These glasses provide visual cues and emotional recognition tools to help students navigate social interactions in real time.”
It is important to set boundaries regarding the use of new technologies in the classroom. It is likewise important that teachers and professors do not become Luddites. The provision within this bill against AI glasses use in the classroom should thus be holistically reassessed.
Fight for the users
Sadistic online forces violate the sanctity of childhood by preying on the most emotionally vulnerable element of society, children. This sort of evil can and should be prevented where possible. Furthermore, when parents drop their kids off at school every morning, they deserve a reasonable assurance of safety. The legislature has power to pass laws which guarantee this kind of peace of mind. HB42 should be signed into law to curb the cybersecurity concerns facing Utah’s youth today.
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@saximusprime
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