The largest teachers union in the country, the National Education Association, has called on social media companies to stop the spread of what they deem to be “misinformation” and “violent trends,” including the debate over Critical Race Theory and masking in schools.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Rebecca Pringle, the union president, wrote a letter to Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Instagram, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, and Jack Dorsey of Twitter, demanding that they take steps to prevent “the dissemination and spread of dangerous viral challenges and misinformation that it says pose a threat to educators and students.”
In her letter, Pringle accused these companies of seeking “to create algorithms that would increase people’s fervent use of your platforms — a pursuit of profit with no regard for its effects.”
“Our schools are the center of communities in every corner of our nation. They should be a safe place for every single student, educator, and staff member to thrive and learn. And yet, online ‘trends’ and false information that have spread like wildfire throughout social media platforms — from stealing school property and hitting school staff, to conspiracy theories on curriculum and coronavirus protocols — have helped create a culture of fear and violence with educators as targets,” Pringle wrote. “Now, across the nation we see social media pushing users to steal from schools, damage school property, and threatening to hit school staff just to get ‘likes’. Although we applaud Tik Tok for banning hashtags around this most recent trend, instances like these pop up on platforms faster than we can name them and often are only addressed after public outcry or when the glare of the media spotlight is upon them. Social media is here and has a valuable place in our society, it can bring us together, show us a glimpse of the world we might not otherwise experience and help build community—if done so thoughtfully and responsibly. That is core of the digital citizenship we teach our students, but unfortunately, it is more often the exception of what we experience. Meanwhile, these growing trends put the safety and learning of all our students and staff at risk.”
Pringle then referred to what she believed to be “the alarming growth of a small but violent group of radicalized adults who falsely believe that graduate level courses about racism are being taught in K-12 public schools because of misinformation spread on social media” — in an apparent reference to the concern over Critical Race Theory in schools — as well as “ another small yet vocal group of extremists who are putting the safety of our children, educators, and families at risk over the notion that wearing a mask is in infringement on personal liberty.”
“These radicals have attacked educators from California to Texas over wearing a mask. They made a nazi salute in Illinois at a school board meeting discussing COVID protocols. They brought zip ties to try and abduct a principal in Arizona for following coronavirus quarantine policies. They doxxed a teacher in Vermont, accusing him of teaching ‘anti-American’ ideas. These are just some examples of menacing behavior spreading across the country. This rising tide of violence must be stopped before even more educators get harmed. The fact that our students are watching this behavior, and in some cases replicating it, makes it all the more destructive to the foundational importance of public education and peaceful, free civic discourse,” Pringle continued.
She then applauded the U.S. Justice Department for mobilizing an “entire new task force” to “investigate violence against educators.”
“But where is the urgency from the very companies that have helped fuel the conspiracies causing attacks?” Pringle asked. “Our schools should be centers of learning, and your platforms have helped turn them into centers of a culture war.”
“We’re calling on your companies to take this threat seriously and prioritize the safety of people over profits — you can help put an end to the stream of propaganda fueling violence against educators in our communities. Your companies have both the power and responsibility to stamp out disinformation and violent trends — for the sake of Public Education and the future of democracy. To that end, we’re demanding that your companies make a public pledge to students, educators, and their families to regulate lies and fix your algorithms to put public safety over profits,” Pringle concluded. “Our nation’s educators are still working through a pandemic after two years. We’re all exhausted, stressed, and stretched so thin it feels like we’ll crumble — and now we’re facing growing violence fueled by corporations with no oversight and no accountability to the communities they harm. Social media platforms were created to bring people together – with your help we can build a better tomorrow and stronger school communities where everyone can thrive.”
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Source: Dailywire
