SB 54 Social Media Section More Harm Than Good

Letter to the Editor of the Warrensburg Daily Star Journal, 8.24.11

There has been a lot of discussion and debate over SB 54, mostly over the section concerning the use of social media. While there was good intention, and we all want to protect children, there are two points missing from this conversation.

First, there appears to be a lack of thorough reasoning for including the portion on social media. I've not seen any research indicating a link between child abuse and the use of social media, and I've not heard legislators citing studies. Is there an increase in child abuse directly related to social media use? Perhaps there is. If so, please share. Alternately, there is research that shows a positive correlation between use of social media in the classroom and test scores. Therefore, the end result of the bill is the lowering of test scores. In regards to the intent, it seems to be a knee jerk reaction, feel good legislation, that makes it look like they are trying to do something. Furthermore, the name of the bill, the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, tells a story of an abused child, which naturally brings about strong emotions and the desire to protect future children. But the abuse took place 28 years ago, long before computers and social media. So there is no connection. In fact, much of the abuse took place while the student baby sat the teacher's children and also at their local church. Should they instead ban babysitting and church attendance? There seems to be a leap of logic that doesn't add up. I would prefer that laws be based on well researched sound reasoning.

Second, while we debate what the bill allows and forbids, the fact of the matter is that some schools will be so scared that they will take measures to an extreme. Does it matter what the actual meaning of the law is if the effects are drastic consequences? We see this already with internet filters and current use of technology. Some schools still block youtube and an incredible wealth of websites for fear of lawsuits. This in turn inhibits teachers' abilities to educate students. It's just one more push towards a climate of fear even if those consequences were unintended.

Teachers already have an incredibly tough job. Budgets are continually slashed, and when teachers take advantage of using free or less expensive alternatives are often blocked or frightened away. It's like they just can't ever win. Then people complain when test scores are not as high as they want them to be. Teachers have had their hands tied over and over again instead of letting them do their jobs as they are educated to do. Don't start restricting free tools, even slightly, unless you want to provide funding for alternatives. Better yet, provide both better funding and also let teachers and their communities decide what should be used.