Private Schools Versus Teen Bloggers

Some private schools have taken extreme steps to quell the use of blogs and social networking sites by their students; teens just want to express themselves.

reported. Another dire account of students running afoul of school masters through blogging noted how a student at Barrie School in Silver Spring was asked to leave the private school over misuse of a blog. The Post was unable to obtain specifics about the student's dismissal, but the school's head Tim Trautman cited a policy that bans students from using any technology to defame anyone, anywhere. Much of the Post's story detailed the dangers of being too open and inviting to potential predators, not to mention the possible use of Facebook material by college admissions personnel or even future employers to make character judgments about people based on their posts. Teens oppose these restrictions, citing the benefits of getting attention from classmates when one isn't the among the most popular or outgoing in a school. One teen who works with WiredSafety.org illustrated the point very well in the article: "I'm in seventh grade," the girl said. "It's really hard to be in seventh grade these days. It's really hard if you're shy and you're not a cheerleader or extraordinarily popular. I travel, I take pictures, I write poetry. I'm a nice kid, and if I can write a profile that will make people notice me, why shouldn't I?" Despite their protestations, private schools have the advantage over teens here. The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted in its contact EFF. Depending on the facts, we may be able to help you publicize the problem and hopefully convince your school to be more reasonable. Email the author to your Bookmarks. Add to document.write("Del.icio.us") | Yahoo! My Web David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.