Kids today are constantly on social media, and that habit doesn’t stop when their at school.
Well, a middle school in Alamance County, North Carolina has received widespread attention for their controversial decision to remove its bathroom mirrors to deter students from recording their own TikTok videos, according to Insider.
“Students were going to the bathroom for long periods of time and making TikTok videos,” school spokesperson Les Atkins told WFMY News 2. The school reported that on average, students were going to the restroom 3-4 times per day, but that number has steadily increased to 7-9 times per day.
According to ABC 11, the school sent out a letter to parents that said: “Though this is an adjustment, we believe these changes will foster a better learning environment by minimizing disruptions.”
A public school teacher on Reddit shared their opinion on the decision, writing: “I work in public schools, and a lot of schools do this just because a lot of girls will do entire make-up routines in the bathroom, taking over half an hour in a single bathroom trip.”
A popular critique of the decision is that the school should’ve banned the students’ phones instead. “Ban the phones, not the mirrors,” @BenFrankli4666 wrote on Twitter, but others pointed out the potential safety issue of taking away students’ phones during the day.
One TikTok user described the decision as a “temporary fix.”
Another TikTok user agreed, writing: “They want to control so much in schools now…it’s so weird.”
In recent weeks, the school has reported positive results since the changes has been implemented. “Not as many visits to the bathroom, not staying as long, and students are held accountable, and when there’s accountability, you see a great difference,” Atkins said.
BuzzFeed reached out to Southern Alamance Middle School for comment. We’ll update you if they respond.
What do you think about this school’s decision to remove all bathroom mirrors to limit students making TikToks? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelabramwell/a-north-carolina-school-removed-all-bathroom-mirrors-to
