The internet has been made easily accessible to most of society over the past few years. Many would say that the internet is just one press of a button away and the information held by the internet is at a person’s fingertips.
This accessibility has allowed for the growth of knowledge in society. But this access to the World Wide Web seems to get cut off once a student walks through the double doors of their high school.
The internet holds many things and not all are good or age-appropriate. But, a vast majority of websites that are easily accessible to students are beneficial and hold reliable information that people should have access to, especially in an academic setting.
Those who are caught on inappropriate websites or are not using the internet to its full potential should be punished accordingly.
Schools have been taking away this source that students need to access class materials and other information. The county has to prioritize the safety and comfort of students, so the county has its fair share of concerns over inappropriate websites being accessed through the school Wi-Fi.
It is understandable to prioritize protecting students, but some of the restrictions made on students’ access to the internet seem unnecessary and harmful in many cases.
Social media is one of the fastest and most reliable ways to receive information and news. Social media should not only be seen as an outlet for students to have fun and mindlessly scroll through pictures, but it should also be viewed as a way to receive and collect information, such as from club pages and posts.
Blocking social media platforms also cuts off communication for some individuals. Restricting access to social media services can be very frustrating for students, faculty or anyone that wants to contact others from within a school.
This, in turn, hinders students’ growth and makes school, an institution created to foster and distribute knowledge, become a place where some facts and sources of information are being denied.
Additionally, students should be able to freely access the internet to learn. In an educational setting, a student’s job is to seek out and absorb information. The block on the school Wi-Fi denies many students access to many academic resources, such as articles on current events.
This, in turn, hinders students’ growth and makes school, an institution created to foster and distribute knowledge, become a place where some facts and sources of information are being denied.
An argument for the block on school Wi-Fi is that many students can be seen as immature and may take advantage of the free access of the internet to do things which are not school-appropriate. The internet, in that case, becomes a distraction instead of an educational tool.
It is almost impossible to watch over every single student and what they do with their internet access, but it seems that it is better to have some who will misuse the internet access rather than restricting the whole student body. Those who are caught on inappropriate websites or are not using the internet to its full potential should be punished accordingly.
Students go to school to learn, and having limited access to the internet greatly impacts their learning environment. Blocking selected websites just makes students want to try harder to reach them. Open internet access allows for an information-filled and safe learning environment.
Photo by Kayla Florenco
