I agree that social media can negatively impact mental health, but the San Mateo County Board of Education suing social media companies claiming harm is the epitome of hypocrisy (“County school board is suing social media” in the March 16 edition of the Daily Journal).
San Mateo high schools push social media on kids, with many students required to use Google’s YouTube for lessons and encouraged to use YouTube and TikTok for projects. It is equivalent to putting junk food vending machines on campus, telling students junk food is bad, requiring them to consume it for class credit, and then suing the food manufacturers for damages.
If the Board of Education truly believes social media harms students, it has the power to disengage with social media platforms. The board can block access to social media sites on campus, reduce Google-based dependence and internet assignments, and remove social media assignments from the curriculum.
(2) comments
Ms. Mendoza, interesting letter… Now what exactly are teachers doing when students can go to YouTube for lessons and YouTube and TikTok for projects? Can we reduce many of these outsourced lesson/project “teachers” and hold auditorium-based classes? Or can we cancel all classes and just hand out directions? We can outsource, perhaps to India, grading of these lessons/projects.
Ms. Mendoza - Good points! I hope schools pay attention and implement policies accordingly.
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