Yesterday, my son came home and told me all about the YouTube video he was watching on his friend’s cellphone while on the bus. Sounds relatively unremarkable, until I add that the kids riding this bus are under the age of ten.
We all know that the world of YouTube can be crazy and toxic, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I was a bit concerned with this interaction. Not enraged. Just concerned.
I mulled it over a bit during the evening and had a brief chat with my kiddo about how I was feeling. I made it clear to him that, while I prefer he not watch random YouTube content with his buddies on the bus, I can’t control a situation that I am not directly involved in. I explained to him that I trust his judgement and that I expect him to step away should the content be inappropriate. We talk about media literacy a lot in this house – so yes, he knows what I mean when I say “inappropriate.”
I decided to check in with one of the staff members and learned that cellphones are indeed permitted on the bus. Why? Because it helps to mitigate issues of bullying. Yup – you read that correctly. The use of cellphones is ok, because it’s a way to reduce bullying. Said staff member informed me that, despite best efforts to work with parents, some children continued to bully and the use of screen time has been the only way to curb the behavior.
I share this story for a few reasons.
- In my opinion, screens shouldn’t be the solution to greater behavior problems. This is where DEI curriculum, a focus on teaching kindness, prioritizing mental health, and other initiatives come into play. I’ve heard the “can’t we just get back to teaching math, reading, etc” argument many times over the years, but truth of the matter is, we can’t be that simplistic. Until a day comes when all families are teaching kindness, tolerance, and generally promoting good behavior at home, schools have a responsibility to address these issues to ensure all students have the opportunity for success.
- If students, starting from a young age, are permitted to access mass media on a regular basis – we need to start considering how we are going to introduce media literacy curriculum as early as possible.
Just some thoughts I wanted to share as a parent and a community member. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts or reach out directly with any questions you may have.