For many of us here a John Jay High School, we are all well aware of the infamous “social media block” that our school has initiated. This disallows us from using our favorite apps. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Spotify, among others, are blocked. The question however, that we should ask is “Why?”.

Why did our school implement this block? It is understandable that our school wants to protect the students and faculty, but there are other ways. There needs to be a balance of trust and honesty when it comes to the use of cellphones in school. With today’s society, everything is accessible through the internet and social media. This  social media block is ineffective when almost all after school activities such as sports and clubs rely on posting it’s information online.

As of now, John Jay’s administration sees social media as a threat. When they think of Instagram and Facebook, they immediately direct their minds to the idea of online bullying and inappropriate behavior. However, these applications are capable of doing much more beneficial things for our society. With these applications, you have the ability to become closer friends with people, share your life’s greatest moments, keep in touch with loved ones, and so much more.

Bullying is something that should never be taken lightly and sadly it is something that people do online. However this social media block isn’t going to be the reason that it ends. There are alternate routes to end bullying online other than stripping the opportunity to use our cell phones and social media during the school day. Troublemakers should be punished by the school. However, students at least deserve the right to prove that we can maturely use our cell phones before the high school and district administration completely obliterate any possibility of advancing our education, involvement, and friendships through social media.