Technology has made access to information and connection with people around the world instantly possible. It’s a valuable teaching tool for educators.
But that same technology has a dark side, causing kids to misbehave and use social media inappropriately. It’s led to more parent and teacher oversight and, in some cases, suspension, even in Wrangell.
Bob Davis, assistant principal of the high school and middle school, recently has sent out messages to parents letting them know about a slew of TikTok challenges that had made their way to Wrangell. TikTok is a social media app used for sharing short videos. The challenges involved things like slapping teachers, vandalizing school property, and stealing items while video recording the acts and posting them online.
Bathrooms were vandalized -- soap smeared everywhere, toilets plugged, toilet paper and signs stolen, Davis said. “We jumped on things quickly and got off fairly easy. We haven't had to deal with any of the later challenges, at least not yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.”
But, he said, it’s not just TikTok.
“Social media in general is just tearing this generation up in so many ways,” he said. The online behavior that kids emulate ranges from the innocuous to the physically harmful. Davis said kids are also accessing pornography on their phones. “These kids know way more than we did. We didn’t even have language for some of this stuff that these kids have.”
Davis went on to say that many parents “don’t realize how tuned in these kids are.” He admits he didn’t realize it himself until two years ago.
In a March 2020 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 51% of parents whose children have their own smartphone say the child received the phone between the ages of 9 and 11. “Despite most social media sites having age guidelines in place, which usually restrict children younger than 13 from joining, some 13% of these parents say their child uses TikTok and 10% say their child uses Snapchat. Just 5% say their child uses Instagram, and even fewer (3%) say their child uses Facebook. Some 7% of parents say their child uses some other social media site,” the Pew survey stated.
“I asked my students, ‘What is your No. 1 social media time waster,’ said middle school teacher Laura Davies, who teaches science to sixth, seventh and eighth graders, and technology to sixth graders. “They almost all said TikTok. Most kids don’t care about Facebook or Instagram. It’s TikTok and Snapchat. And with sixth graders, it’s TikTok.”
Davies has used social media to have her students collaborate with classes in other communities, teaching children how to speak appropriately with others online. She also has personal and school Instagram accounts, both of which she makes public, so if her students do find it, they’ll see examples of positive, appropriate posts.
As a parent of elementary and middle school students, Davies and her husband, teacher Winston Davies, limit the amount of time their children use technology. Video games aren’t allowed in their house and computer use comes with rules and close monitoring.
“Our son could easily be addicted to technology. He would be on YouTube and playing video games all the time if he could,” she said. But because they keep their son engaged in outdoor activities, Davies believes they help their son avoid the trappings of social media.
Since Davies teaches technology, she was unsure of the middle school ban on smartphone use during school hours that was enacted last year. But since seeing how much more students interact with each other during and in between classes, she believes it was a good move.
“Last year, they had phones when they were allowed in school, and we saw a lot more problems,” she said. “I love having no cell phones in here.”
Middle school students’ personal smartphones or other devices were banned to curb increasingly bad behavior like bullying, graffiti and sharing lewd pictures, Davis said, and programs were put in place to actively monitor school devices. He said problems have decreased substantially. However, he still urges parents to actively monitor their child’s online activities and daily screen time.
“In my mind, on social media, I’ve seen some of the most vile things, but I’ve also seen some of the greatest, most amazing things,” Davis said. “It’s a tool, and like any tool, it can be misused.”
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