Students Social Media Controversy

Recently there has been a lot of controversy regarding the topic of schools monitoring students’ social media accounts. Many people have spoken out about the issue and their stance on it. The debate has continued due to various schools implementing firms to search through their students’ online activity. Many people are angered by these actions that the schools are taking, while many are pleased by it. Schools should not be allowed to monitor students’ social media accounts because it can restrict their freedom of speech, it is an invasion of their privacy, and it is very costly. For instance, if schools monitor their student’s social media accounts, it can have great effects on the students’ freedom of speech. In fact, the Anaheim Union

Many students feel that they won’t have as much privacy if their schools monitor their online activity. In fact, Clarissa Rodriguez, a student at Canyon High in Anaheim Hills stated that she “doesn’t even like her parents looking through [her] feed, much less teachers and others at [her] school” (Source 1). This quote proves that the students will not feel comfortable if their schools begin to check their social media accounts. By checking their social media accounts, the schools are invading their privacy. Social media is meant to be another way for people to express themselves, however students will not be able to do that if they feel their being watched by their school. This could actually cause students to stop using social media all together. Likewise, Justin Patchin, the co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, does not recommend spying on students because it would imply that they are monitoring kids without telling them. He does not recommend this because “they’ll find something they’ll have to confront their kids about...and will [their] kids be able to trust [them] again?” (Source 2). This quote shows that monitoring students without them being aware of it means that the school or their parents do not trust them. Relationships are built on trust, thus if parents betray their trust it can cause even more issues rather than

For instance, the Los Angeles Times reported that “the Glendale Unified School District is spending $40,000 to have [a] firm monitor social media use among the district’s student's” (Source 2). This quote shows how expensive it is to implement a system that monitors the students’ online activity. It is too much money to spend on computer systems that are still being tested and can be faulty. It does not make sense for schools to spend $40,000 on a system that may not function well. On the contrary, many people argue that it has already helped a student who was threatening self harm by helping the family get the services they needed. However, others have stated that “there is little evidence of increased social media surveillance leading to a reduction in school violence” (Source 4). This quote proves that even though this system has helped a few people, it hasn’t had a significant effect. People need to look at the big picture. A school cannot pay $40,000 to save one student. That would be completely unreasonable. If this system had a bigger effect, then maybe it would be worth it. However, seeing as there has not been much change, it seems pointless to spend $40,000 on a system that sometimes works. Those $40,000 could go toward academics or sports rather than being wasted on a faulty system. As shown above, schools should not be permitted to