To allow students
to set their own
norms in a social
world without
modeling or
guidance is to
condemn them
to a virtual Lord of the Flies situation,
then cry out in frustration when they
end up making bad choices. The adult
members of the school community
have a responsibility to model appro-
priate behavior to our students, guide
them when their behavior strays
from acceptable norms, and provide
a safe space for experimentation and
boundary testing as well as a recourse
from irreversible consequences when
things go really bad.
And yet, we have to keep in mind
that there is a distinct difference
between effective monitoring in the
context of a caring relationship and
letting a machine take over the job of
parents, teachers, and other involved
adults by flagging keywords, sending
out form-letter alerts, and racking up
“bully points.” A teacher, for example,
could privately call out a spring break
profile pic showing way more skin
than is appropriate in a public forum
and give the student an opportunity
to change it. A coach could reach out
via direct message to a student who is
complaining about bullies in school
over Twitter. And a parent could scan
her child’s Kik messenger feed to see
if he is responding to the messages
he received at 2 a.m., when he should
be asleep. Each of these are situations
that have actually happened in our
school, and they are all examples of
monitoring students on social media
within the context of a caring commu-
nity of people.
As we modified our school’s social
media policy and began to share it
with parents and students, our primary
goal was helping our students develop
habits of mind and skills of behavior
and interaction that would influence
them well beyond the walls of the
school and long after they turned 18.
We monitor our older students’ navigation of social media, just as caring parents and teachers watch as our younger
children navigate playground politics:
pointcounterpoint
As any high
school student
will tell you,
social media is
often the primary
form of com-
munication for
those under the age of 25. This may
seem like a new development, but
students who use social media are
merely participating in the same types
of social activities that teens in every
generation have participated in. Be-
fore there were telephones, students
gathered in homes and at social events
to talk. Once the home phone became
a staple, students talked on their land-
lines. Today, teens use texting and
social media to communicate. The
technology is different, but the basic
human instinct to connect is the same.
Social media is also not just about
socializing. High schools and colleges
are increasingly using it to keep their
student body engaged with their class-
room activities and school events. And
news outlets and organizations of every
type that keep students in the know
are growing their social presences. So
social media is not the enemy—it’s an
outlet we want our students to use.
Of course, there is one difference
between today and yesteryear: Today,
when students make social mistakes
and get involved in conflicts, it’s often
open for the entire world to see. This
was not the case for previous genera-
tions of teens. Our reaction has been
to lock down social media and moni-
tor our students’ every move for fear
of what might happen. Unfortunately,
however, this reaction prevents teens
from learning how to apply the social
ethics we have hopefully taught them
both in our homes and in our schools.
It is our responsibility to teach stu-
dents the dos and don’ts of social me-
dia, but at some point, they must be
free to apply what they have learned.
It is also our responsibility to provide
a support structure so they feel com-
fortable asking questions when they
are unsure if they should or should
not post something to social media.
So as it turns out, this is not such a
new problem after all. At the root of
the issue is whether we have taught
YES
NO
Should Schools Monitor Students’ Social Media Posts?
