School children at 11 schools in southern China are being forced to wear to wear 'intelligent unforms' to improve attendance and increase safety, prompting a backlash from privacy advocates.

Developed by Guizhou Guanyu Technology and introduced by over 10 schools in Guizhou and Guangxi, the uniforms have two GPS chips embedded into the shoulder pads that show when a student is entering or exiting school grounds.

They are also linked to the child’s face so that students wearing swapped uniforms can be identified at the school entrance using facial recognition. Alarms activate if students leave without permission or fall asleep in class. All data is automatically sent to parents and teachers. 

The clothing was quietly introduced in July 2017 and came under scrutiny when it emerged that the technology can also track student movements and behaviour after school hours, though school leaders say they '"choose not to."