A new program allows schools to monitor the social media activities of students on and off campus, a development that some parents and students are opposed to.
According to Today, the program combs through information on Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts when students are in class and off campus to protect them from possible threats posted to the accounts.
“It monitors key words that could present threats, for example ‘gun’ or ‘attack’ or ‘kill’ or words of that nature,” said Bill Sublette, chairman of Florida’s Orange County School Board. Along with the Florida district, schools in Glendale, California are using a similar monitoring program.
Administrators say the new program is an effort to prevent school violence, pointing to recent shootings where the gunman posts threats on social media shortly before committing the crime.
However, parents feel that monitoring their children’s social lives should be left to them, and students agree.
What do you think? Is it the responsibility of school administration to monitor and attempt to protect students by keeping track of their social media accounts? Or is this just a breach of privacy? Sound off below!
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