Exclusive: Snap seeks to reach teachers ahead of new school year
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Snapchat on Wednesday debuted a suite of safety tools and resources for educators trying to navigate students' wellbeing on their app and online in general.
Why it matters: Schools are wrestling with regulating cell phone use in classrooms, with some even threatening to ban phones altogether.
- Snapchat was the third most used app among teens in a 2023 Pew study, behind YouTube and Instagram. 51% of teens reported using Snapchat daily, with 14% of those reporting near constant use.
- More than 20 million teens in the U.S. use Snapchat, the company said.
Zoom in: Teachers and other school staff can use the free "educator's guide to Snapchat" to learn how the app works and how it can be used within school communities, the company said.
- Teachers can share downloadable resources with parents and counselors on how to help students address potential threats online, including bullying, mental health risks and sextortion.
- Educators are also invited to give the company feedback on how the app is used in their schools.
The big picture: While some youth mental health metrics have improved since the start of COVID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged for more supportive school environments in its latest youth risk behavior report.
- The report, released this month, noted an increase in school-based violence and safety concern-based absenteeism.
- 16% of high school students were electronically bullied in 2023, per the CDC.
What they did: Snap hosted roundtable sessions with school administrators, educators, mental health professionals and law enforcement to create its resource.
- "While many concerns were rooted in or related to traditional social media, they often extended beyond it, reflecting broader issues prevalent in the digital environment," the toolkit said.
Zoom out: School districts and educators have been trying to strike a balance with students' social media use, while teens are largely not worried about their own technology use, according to Pew survey data.
- The Los Angeles Unified School District in June voted 5-2 to ban cellphone and social media use for its more than 429,000 students during the school day.
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