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Credit: Kittikun Atsawintarangkul
Should teachers and students connect through social media?
Amelia Harper
Sept. 9, 2019
Dive Brief:
Studies show that 50% of students have social media accounts by age 12
and 83% of students have their own cell phone by the time they reach
middle school. But allowing teachers and students to connect with one
another through social media opens the door to inappropriate
relationships and potential abuse, eSchool News reports.
The problem is especially concerning as 70% of teens, according to
research, tend to hide their online activity from parents through
various apps designed for the purpose, a factor that child sexual
abusers tend to use to their advantage, the article said.
To prevent potential abuse or questionable relationships between
students and teachers, experts recommend that school districts only
allow contact between teachers and students through district electronic
platforms and only on district-provided devices that restrict access to
social media apps. They also recommend that school districts prohibit
teachers and students from communicating through calls, texts, personal
email accounts, or social media, and that teachers avoid posting
inappropriate images or personal information on public social media
accounts.
Dive Insight:
The use of social media can provide schools and students with
opportunities to connect to the world, and they can also be used
creatively to tell a school’s story, to celebrate success stories, or
to rebrand a school.
These efforts can also involve social media-savvy students who can
offer valuable insight into how it can be used. Some schools have used
social media efforts by staff and students to distribute clever videos
that acknowledge staff efforts or even to make snow day announcements
highly entertaining.
However, school districts also need to consider the pitfalls when
establishing clear, enforceable social media policies designed to
protect teachers and students alike. Social media connections between
students and teachers can lead to disaster. In some cases, this
interaction has led to misunderstandings, inappropriate relationships,
or sexual contact. Even the posting of provocative pictures by teachers
on their own Facebook pages has resulted in embarrassing situations for
the schools involved.
School districts are increasingly considering the potential harm these
social media interactions can cause as well as the legal implications
involved for the school district. As social media policies are examined
and updated, school leaders need to communicate the potential for harm
and look for solutions that promote the best use of social media in
school setting.
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