Social Media Safety
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS: The following letter pertains to social media use and includes suggestions for talking to your children and monitoring their use of technology to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Since we at Swampscott Middle School know students can achieve their full potential only when they feel safe, secure, and supported, one of the cornerstones of our district’s policies is a commitment to preventing and addressing negative social media behaviors.
Over the last few years, Ms. Sanborn and I have been receiving reports and spending a considerable amount of time not only discussing these concerns but also taking disciplinary action as a result of an increase in the amount of negative social media related incidents (i.e. online harassment, sexting, cyberbullying and mean-spirited communication). Even though these behaviors are occurring outside of the school and off school grounds, we are committed to remaining part of the solution since we are fully aware that social media problems can cause short and long-term consequences.
As leaders of your school community, we understand the importance of our partnership with you. We urge you to take some time to speak to your children about how they use and are impacted by social media. Here are some suggestions that might be helpful as we all work together to ensure the safety and emotional health of all our students:
• Try to maintain an open, honest and caring dialogue with your
children about their technology use. Remind them that you are 100%
committed to their safety and well-being, and that all discussions and
potential monitoring of their technology use are coming from a place
of deep concern for them.
• Consistently keep a close, watchful eye on your children’s
technology use. This includes all online activity and texting, as well as
the use of social media apps via cell phones, tablets, laptops, and
any other form of technology that provides your children with access
to these activities (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc.).
• Prepare for the fact that your children may resist your efforts to
monitor their technology usage. It’s important that we view the
potential risks associated with technology to be as serious, and
sometimes even more serious, than traditional “risky” activities (e.g.
drinking, sexual behavior).
• Stay informed regarding current trends in which children are
participating via technology platforms such as social media apps.
Utilize your own local network of surrounding adults to discuss the
latest trends in which kids are partaking, or conduct your own online
research to stay up to date. Brief, periodic online research can be the
difference between keeping children safe versus exposing them to
unwanted risk factors.
• If you deem appropriate, utilize parental control and cell phone
monitoring apps and/or various online monitoring services.
• At home, consider designating a central location to keep phones in
your view.
• Remind your children that if they would not say something to another
person directly, they should not post it on social media.
Over the next week, we will be speaking to each grade about being safe, responsible, and kind while using social media, and what to do if someone is using social media in a negative way.
Please know that the school is here to support you as you guide your
children through their use of technology. It’s important that we honor the
inevitable role that technology plays in our kids’ lives, and empower them to
use it in a healthy, positive way.
See below for two apps that can empower parents and guardians in monitoring their child’s online behaviors:
Sincerely,
Jason Calichman, M.Ed
Principal
