Schools should do more to limit social media use

As a former college professor turned social media safety speaker, I have witnessed the effects of mental health issues, anxiety, and depression associated with constant social media use and use excessive use of screens at school.

In schools, you must first impose a smartphone-free school for students. The temptation to view, respond, and react to messages during the school day is disruptive at best. This creates a situation where online life takes priority over education. Ask any middle school or high school teacher to explain the apathy, rudeness, and behavioral problems that have worsened since the increase in social media and phone use. Discipline around student phone use has been added to the plethora of teachers’ tasks.

The temptation to check and respond to posts is too tempting, as is the possibility of cheating. According to a study by Common Sense, children pick up their phones an average of 72 times a day.

Schools that banned phones reported fewer discipline problems, better grades, and, most importantly, increased social interactions among students.

Second, schools should monitor how often classes use school-provided Chromebooks. Studies show that students of all ages, from elementary school to middle school, tend to absorb more when reading on paper than on screen. Middle school students report that Chromebooks are used in almost every classroom throughout the day.

What if teams got together and designated that each area choose a day or two per week for screens so that students interact with humans rather than machines? Yes, Chromebooks can contribute to student learning, but when asked, students say they much prefer face-to-face interactions.

Since we have evidence that social media is a contributing factor to most mental health issues among school-age students, in addition to jumping on the lawsuit bandwagon, schools need to take a closer look at how their school environment contributes to the crisis and take the necessary measures. preventive measures. Be the school that leads the way to healthy, productive futures for students.

Ronna Glickman, M.Ed. is an educator/speaker/consultant and founder of socialmediasafety.education.