Social media is the new kid on the block. It’s been around for a few years now, but to many parents, it’s still a weird guest that snuck into their children’s lives. With the rise of cyber-bullying and kids sharing their emotional/mental states online, something has to be done to ensure safety in the physical and cyber world alike. To ensure safety, the government has been invited to monitor the social media pages of students in the name of public safety.
To evaluate new policies, I believe it to be effective to consider these four aspects. What is the intent behind the policy? How is it going to achieve its goal? Do the benefits outweigh the cost? Does this in anyway overstep boundaries?
Social media monitoring is intended to keep our children safe. Social media is yet another outlet for bullies to target children. At the same time, some students find it easier to plead for help online than speak to someone. Noticing this could be the difference between life and death and cannot be ignored.
To achieve safety, contractors will view the public pages/accounts of students. They look for threats to either the student or others. These keywords can include weapons or literal threats to an individual or group.
Since December 2012, there have been at least 90 school shooting in the US. To prevent such tragedies, it seems the $40,500 The Glendale School District paid Geo Listening is worth the investment. At the same time, this could be a way to teach students that what they do, even online, matters. Once something is said, it can never be taken back.
One boundary is privacy. However, since these are public pages, privacy isn’t expected. Are school overreaching their primary function of education by monitoring students outside of school? Is that the job of parents and/or law enforcement?
What are your thoughts? Should the schools (or the government) have a right to monitor students social media pages? Should there be a restricted time limit?