A New Jersey Middle School principal is calling on parents to ban their children from accessing social networking websites. According to CNN, the principal, Anthony Orsini, sent an e-mail to parents saying, “There is absolutely no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site! Let me repeat that – there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site!”
The object of Orsini’s wrath was the popular social networking website Formspring.me, which allows users to set up accounts where anyone can come and leave anonymous comments. Formspring.me has been cited as a factor in a number of cyberbullying cases, including the tragic suicide of Massachusetts teen Phoebe Prince.
Check out a video of Orsini speaking with CNN below.
I would be interested to hear what parents think of Orsini’s comments, and whether or not an outright ban of social networking is something that you would consider for your children. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
2 comments ↓
What do I think? I think Orsini’s ostrich-head-in-the-sand ideas are ridiculous. He doesn’t like these sites, because he doesn’t know how to control them… and therein lies the problem. You can’t control them.
Too many school administrators see only the downside to students and social networks. Very few of them are aware of how kids are collaborating, sharing ideas, helping each other with homework, and joining together for philanthropic endeavors. Sure, there are a lot of kids misusing these tools, but that’s mostly because they don’t have any guidance about how to use them appropriately. Parents AND schools need to take on this responsibility, and that means the adults need to use the tools also.
My children are older teenagers now. When they were younger, we sat down together and discussed how they were going to be using text messaging, Facebook, and other sites- BEFORE they started using them. We talked about the issues of sharing too much, the false sense of anonymity one can get when typing a comment… lots of things. The main issue is that I am also a user, so I knew what things to expect. We also keep up with changes in sites and privacy settings (ahem, Facebook).
I’m sure Mr. Orsini would be happy if he never had to hear about another incident where kids did something wrong or hateful online… but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go away. Education is always the answer. Pretending kids aren’t going to use the tools is foolish and backward-thinking. Teach them to use the tools appropriately and then deal with the issues that arise. Have some faith in your kids and assume they’ll do the right thing. Most of them will surprise you by doing just that.
Resource I share with other parents: http://avenue4learning.com/presentations-and-resources/tips-for-internet-safety/
Hello Michelle and thank you for your excellent comment. I tend to agree with you when it comes to kids and social networking. Education is definitely the key. A mature, responsible, and, above all else, informed child or teen is unlikely to make the kinds of social media mistakes that could cause long-term reputation damage.
As I wrote in this blog post from last November:
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