Lilah Bedell
Research Mentor(s): Elyse Thulin
Mentor Department: Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention
Authors: Elyse Thulin , Sarah Stilwell
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Presentation Type: Oral
Abstract
In recent years, the United States’ school system has experienced a significant increase in student related threats to school safety and security. This trend is often characterized by various indicators of concerning student behavior, including threats to student and staff security, concerns regarding student well-being, instances of cyberbullying, and risk of suicide. Simultaneously, American schools have experienced a significant increase in the prevalence of student use of social media. Despite the widespread introduction of social media into the school environment, many school districts struggle to devise, select, and implement an efficient social media monitoring policy that works to effectively detect indications of concerning behaviors and reduce social media related threats to school safety. This scoping review aims to analyze all of the existing research and framework for social media monitoring practices in K-12 schools, and create an ideal policy for social media monitoring in schools. While considering the limitations and implications of the existing social media monitoring practices and softwares used in schools, including legal and ethical concerns, threats to student privacy, and efficacy issues, this review seeks to compile the best approaches to implementing social media monitoring, providing a guide for K-12 school administrators to consider when implementing such practices.
