Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

11-26-2023

Keep Online Life From Causing School Trouble

Teens who keep blogs and vlogs, make videos and post on social media often use these forums to record personal thoughts. But these posts, which can be accessed by people all over the internet, are not the same thing as a private diary. Certain content can get your teen in trouble, and that includes trouble at school.

Free speech laws do apply. But this protection won’t necessarily help if what your teen posts creates big problems at school. (The courts call this “material disruption.”) The good news is, making sure online posts are school-safe is mostly about common sense.

Here are some guidelines for your teen to follow:

Never post anything that could be seen as a threat to harm school staff, students or even property. This includes harming a person’s reputation.
Do not urge or even suggest breaking the law or school rules. This includes making jokes about such things. Your teen should use the “when in doubt, leave it out” rule.
Keep school out of the posts. Your teen should not post while on school property or when using school computers. In fact, unless it is assigned by the teachers, your teen shouldn't use anything from the school in creating online content. Encourage your teen to state directly in an opinion post that it is not sponsored by the school, nor is it a part of the school in any way. It would also be wise for your teen to discourage other students from posting comments during school hours.

Brought to you by:

Nye County Schools
Pahrump, NV

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