In the age of social media, teachers are trying to find ways to get students to pay more attention to their in class and less attention to their phones.
Many schools block students from going onto social media on the school computers. Some schools make it so when students log onto their wifi, they can not go onto any social media even on their phones. Is this an invasion of a student’s rights or privacy when it comes to their own phones?
However, there are some schools that believe it won’t end distractions. It may just be the fact that many students have a much more shorter attention span.
CNET news did a story on four Wisconsin schools that blocked social media at the high schools to try and get the children to pay more attention and be less distracted. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that there were over 30 social media websites blocked.
The opinions of students to adults can vary. Some students feel it helps while some think it’s pointless. The same goes for adults and teachers.
“In the elementary school that I’ve been at, kids don’t really have phones,” said Emily Llorens of Ventnor City, N.J. “Regardless, they still have trouble focusing. Kids have so much energy and get distracted so easily that whether there’s social media or not, it takes a lot to get them all to be quiet and just focus on the teacher.”
However, some students believe the sites should be blocked.
“I think that as an education major I don’t believe that it is an invasion of privacy because when they’re at school they should be focusing on academics,” said Jordan Davis, an education major at MSU. “When I was in high school I would be on my phone during class and it was definitely a distraction to me.”