Since the dawn of social media apps and other similar platforms, the world has seen the effect that has continued on all people, old or young, whether for better or worse. Social media itself is a way for people to connect with each other and the rest of the world around them, however at what cost when the trends of the world contradict common sense, ethics, and morals? Or are our morals not as important as getting 1 million likes on Instagram, TikTok, etc.? This clash between the two can’t be seen any clearer in the recent “Devious Licks” incidents at our school and schools across the nation.
A few weeks ago, a trend started to circulate on the social media/music platform, TikTok, where the trend had students steal school property, from soap dispensers to school supplies, and post a picture/video of them doing it. This trend has rapidly been taken as the nation’s schools’ number one issue now. Each school has issued its own way of dealing with the trend and the consequences for those students who participate in it, including ours. Our principal, Mr. Kurtenbach, sent an email regarding the matter, making it clear that those who violate school property will receive “immediate and serious consequences up to and including possible expulsion as well as being cited by law enforcement.” Now, what has happened is clear, but what this incident prompts is a more broad discussion over the effects of social media on kids today and the question: What can we do about it?
Social media regulations are impossible in this day and age, and we can’t control what people in general see and are affected by on a daily basis via social media. All that can be done is to help students and people alike to understand the consequences of their actions. This doesn’t mean not to have fun, but to comprehend the decision we take every day before we take them.