A new state law gave school districts until Jan. 1 to approve policies restricting students from having cellphones on in class and from accessing social media on school devices and networks. On Tuesday, the Wake County school board revised its technology responsible use policy to adopt the new social media restrictions on students.
“We are under the clock to get this approved by Jan. 1,” said school board member Lynn Edmonds, who chairs the policy committee.
The impact of the policy change is uncertain since Wake says it already was limiting access to many social media apps on district devices and networks.
The updated policy also says school system Wi-Fi hotspots may only be used off school property for the education of students.
The school board already updated its phone policy earlier this month to say students must turn off their phones and not just leave them silenced in class.
CONCERNS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION
Concerns about the addictive nature of social media caused North Carolina and Wake County to join many other states and school districts in joining federal lawsuits against the owners of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. The lawsuits accuse the companies of creating a mental health crisis among young people.
The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force endorsed legislation that addresses addictive algorithms in social media by restricting a company’s use of a minor’s data, The News & Observer previously reported. The goal is to make social media less targeted to try to make it less addictive and less likely to show minors harmful content.
State lawmakers tackled the issue this year with a state law that requires school boards to prohibit and prevent students from accessing social media platforms on district devices and networks, except when expressly directed by a teacher for educational purposes.
Lawmakers expect the phone ban in class will also cut back on social media use.
