Could we even enact a TikTok ban?

There’s a mounting campaign to ban TikTok in schools, colleges, and indeed, across the country due to data handling concerns. Educational establishments and the government are concerned about who can see the data the app collects. A network ban is already being enacted in some colleges, and the app has been banned on government devices… but that’s not really why the majority of educators who want the app banned from use during school time say it has to happen.

Concerns about safeguarding, wellbeing and learning

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• TikTok’s functionality has been described as ‘designed to promote addiction’, and linked with a decrease in attention span… which is a dangerous game for learners, especially in Covid catch-up.
• Addictive social media increases student screen use, which can have concerning effects.
• It’s also very easy for learners to get into content ‘rabbit holes’ that promote harmful behaviors…
• …And having a whole world of entertainment in their pocket makes it very easy for students to disengage.
• Video content made in schools often compromises student safeguarding protocols, especially if subjects are under 18.

It’s easy enough to limit access to the app on in-school WiFi and devices… but how do you ban something that users can access using their own devices and data, too?

That old analogy about strict parents…

If you have experience around students, you know that banning something doesn’t always result in wholesale compliance. Many just get smarter about doing it: it’s the old idea that ‘strict parents don’t raise good kids, they raise sneaky ones’.

So many learners experience FOMO when disconnected from social media, and banning their access point doesn’t mean that we’re going to heal that need to engage. Some might genuinely need social media to feel mentally happy and healthy; some simply enjoy it, and some are unfortunately just hooked— so millions are going to do it anyway, despite possible sanctions.

So what do we do about it?

If TikTok bans do happen, it’s class teachers who’ll be tasked with enforcing them. Is it even possible to enact a ban on devices we don’t control?

A blanket ban on mobile phones is one option, but tricky to monitor and encourages covert phone use. A majority of parents are uncomfortable with their children having no way to reach them during the day too, so our best bet might be to work with phone presence, not against it.

Hybrid solutions: phone access and building understanding ?

Systems like Yondr and PhoneLocker have been gaining a foothold in the global education market since the pandemic. They work by allowing users to keep hold of their phones during the school day but store them in a lockable pouch that can opened at an unlocking unit on an as-needed basis by teachers, so that phones are still usable during school time, but only where permission is granted by a member of staff.

But these solutions don’t absolve us of the need to ensure learners are informed about the risks of excessive social media use too. When you’re in a daily pattern, trends in engagement and dependency are often hard to change, so while it may be an uphill struggle to market the idea that measures have been taken out of concern for student mental health, learners may be more on board than we anticipate in the long term. Gen Z do seem to want to actively reduce social media use, and they know that they’re part of a generational student mental health crisis, so many of them may be more receptive to measures limiting video content access, especially if they begin to see positive results.

What are your thoughts on banning TikTok for student mental wellbeing— is it futile to try to ban something we’ll struggle to control, or are you more concerned about the data privacy aspects of the debate? Let us know in the comments below. ??

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