Schools in the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools’ (CHCCS) networks have banned the use of a number of social media on the guest WiFi as of September 4, due to overuse during school hours, according to an email sent to teachers and faculty.
Students are unable to use their social media apps unless using their own personal data on their cell phones. Those who do not have data are not able to access social media apps.
The ban was orchestrated by the Information Technology Division and groups of Instructional Technology Facilitators in the district to “maximize district Internet speeds,” according to a press release sent out in a district-wide email.
Apps that were banned include Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Roughly 20% of Guest Internet usage was taken up by two apps: Snapchat and Instagram. The ban does not include exceptions, so clubs cannot access certain media apps while at school.
“The ban on Instagram and Facebook puts clubs that operate within those platforms at a disadvantage. It forces clubs to use email, which, let’s face it, is so outdated,” junior Sergio Jimenez said.
Junior Lizzie Mabe supports the ban and thinks that the positives outweigh the negatives.
“Social media is only a distraction from schoolwork, and banning it could eliminate these distractions and create a more productive environment,” Mabe said.
Instead of using data, many students have chosen to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass the social media ban, such as junior Jalen Love who uses the VPN 360 app.
According to Instructional Technology Facilitator Kenneth Kingsberry, using a VPN will actually make students vulnerable to hackers.
“[The VPN] literally opens up your phone to any hackers because it’s basically allowing a third-party user complete control over your phone. So while, yes, it does bypass our filtering system, it actually exposes your phone to any hackers,” Kingsberry said.
Senior Nhu Dinh is neutral on the social media ban. While she is not opposed to the ban, Dinh believes social media can have educational benefits. “There’s a lot of little stories on Snapchat that show you current events, so that’s helpful,” Dinh said.
