A major topic floating around is whether or not students should be punished at school for what they say and do on social media. Blogger Scott Armstrong commented on an online post which asked " Should students be punished for their schools for comments made on social media for their homes." on TED conversations in 2012 saying:.
[Social media posts are] playground gossip. Schools that react to it need to check themselves. For some reason, people think the written word carries more weight or importance than the spoken word. By reacting to gossip, schools give weight to it. I don't think social network sites are as substantial as people think. Granted, a lot of people use them, but that doesn't imply that the content being shared is worthy of any attention. (TED.com, 2012).
This quote makes a valid point when saying students should not be punished in school for what happens on social media. This is because what students say online doesn't make a big impact on the school. When the school takes action they are fueling the fire. I don't think they should be punished because most comments are not made on school equipment, it is freedom of speech protected by first amendment, and because it is the students personal life and what is said is done on their free time.
Why should students be punished for their social media post when it is not posted from school equipment? Why should the school be able to take action on things that are none of their business? It would be a different story if posts were made off school equipment. Except school equipment blocks and denies access to social media sites and inappropriate content. The main reason schools block theses sites is to avoid distraction, cyberbullying, and unneeded altercations. Schools relieved themselves of the responsibility of monitoring social media. By taking on the responsibility of personal electronics they are contradicting themselves for their prior action.
