It is time to bring social media platforms to heel as a survey highlights their impact on children and schools said the president of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
At their annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Botwe, head of Tytherington School in Macclesfield, said:
“Today’s young people face challenges that are vastly different from those of previous generations. Their world is shaped by smartphones, social media, memes, and influencers – forces that shape their identities, interactions, and even their mental wellbeing.
“This technology has brought incredible benefits, connecting people across continents, fostering creativity, and expanding access to knowledge. But as we all know, it has a darker side.
The survey conducted by Teacher Tapp on behalf of the Association of School and College Leaders asked school teachers and leaders in England what social-media related issues they had noticed since the start of the academic year in September.
Nearly three-quarters reported that students had been bullied by peers on social media.
Almost half of secondary school teachers said that students had recorded teachers or other pupils without permission.
Nearly a third noticed signs of students having accessed pornographic or violent content.
Four in ten teachers – in both primary and secondary schools – said that parents had made negative comments about their school or staff online.
And nearly three-quarters said students were using social media below the minimum age requirement.
In his keynote speech Mr Bowte continued
“It leaves a trail of harm – safeguarding concerns, fractured friendships, bullying, anxiety, and the spread of extremist ideologies. And increasingly, it is being weaponised against schools and teachers, with disgruntled parents using it as a platform to target staff.
“This chaos must end. For too long, tech billionaires have been given immense power without accountability. They hide behind the defence that they are champions of free speech while profiting from platforms that allow harm to fester.
“But enough is enough. It is time to bring these platforms to heel and force them to police their own spaces. While we welcome the Online Safety Act we have yet to see its protections come into force or how effective they prove in practice.
“As a society, we have the right to demand the protection of our children, the enforcement of decency, and the upholding of standards.
“That right must be asserted.”
