Now that the federal government has banned TikTok from government issued phones, it seems the momentum has begun for other jurisdictions to do the same.
After the feds decided on their course of action, provinces appear to be lining up to do the same. And where provinces and their agencies go, municipalities will follow. And now, at least in Ontario, maybe even schools.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce has said that the province will look into banning the app in schools so as to remove a potent distraction.
“I am troubled by the impact of this technology on young people in the school system from a safety perspective and their privacy, physical safety, mental health.”
That’s entirely laudable stuff from the minister, and I don’t quibble with him. But have schools ever successfully banned anything from students in the past that students weren’t able to do end-runs around?
Students are diabolical. Maybe their math scores aren’t the greatest and they keep their English teachers busy with grammar corrections, but when it comes to their phones and restrictions, watch them turn into KGB agents right in front of you.
The only way to block students is to block the app on the in-school wifi network. That’s great. Job done. Threat blocked.
Yeah, right.
Take Meagan, the girl in grade 6 who is absorbed by all manner of things on her phone. She’s adorable, sings in the school choir, first in line for Communion at Mass, a real keeper as a child and student. But block her TikTok? Are you crazy?
Meagan’s part of an underground network similar to what exists in federal prisons, where attempts to stamp out unwanted behaviours are usually met, somehow, with a way to circumvent the blockage. This is how she knows about VPN’s, or virtual private networks, where people can mask their location while online or interacting with apps that require a connection to the internet. They can do this for free.
One other thing. Some kids, a lot of kids, already have robust personal wifi and internet capabilities as part of their own plans, in most cases purchased by parents. I’m not sure a school can interfere with that if they wanted to.
At any rate, the province is looking into banning TikTok from schools.
I’m all for it, but good luck.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 