Schools issue warnings on ‘13 Reasons Why’, Blue Whale Challenge

By Jen Cowart
Posted 5/24/17

By JEN COWART

Earlier this month, a warning from the Alabama public school department in Baldwin County went viral. It alerted parents to a new social media “app” that asks students to …

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Schools issue warnings on ‘13 Reasons Why’, Blue Whale Challenge

Posted

By JEN COWART

Earlier this month, a warning from the Alabama public school department in Baldwin County went viral. It alerted parents to a new social media “app” that asks students to participate in “The Blue Whale Challenge,” a self-harm challenge that ends in suicide believed to have originated in Russia. The challenge spans the course of 50 days and in turn asks participants to tag others to participate in it as well.

NBC10 initially ran a story about the Alabama school district’s warning and within days both the Cranston and Warwick school districts also issued warnings to their school communities. Included in them was another concern, the Netflix series, “13 Reasons Why,” which takes on the issues of teenage bullying, self-harm, harassment, rape and suicide and other destructive choices, episode by episode with 13 students at a local school each receiving messages from the main character after she has taken her own life, citing the various things that had been done to her which ultimately caused her to choose suicide. The series is based on a popular young adult book by the same title and a second season has just been approved for the series.

Cranston Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse began her letter emphasizing the fact that although the Cranston Public Schools utilizes a Bring Your Own Device policy (BYOD), the policy does not include the use of social media. She goes on to say that schools are unable to monitor out-of-school communications between students, and have no control over how often or for what reasons social media sites are being used by students, nor do they monitor how long students are spending on social media, or what sites they are accessing. However, she also noted that the school faculties continue to work diligently to enforce the acceptable use of technology in the schools.

In Warwick, the letter to the school community was sent out by the Special Education and Student Services offices on behalf of the Warwick Public School Psychologists and alerted families to the fact that the series is rated M for mature, although students across the country are watching the series without adult guidance or support.

According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), content which is rated M “is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.” (www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.aspx)

“There are many opinions about the series ‘13 Reasons Why,’” the Warwick letter reads. “Some feel it is raising awareness about suicide and mental health issues. Others feel the series is glorifying suicide. The show contains a number of difficult topics, such as suicide, bullying, rape and drunk driving. While many youth are resilient and capable of differentiating between a TV drama and real life, engaging in thoughtful conversations with them about the show is vital. Doing so presents an opportunity to help them process the issues addressed, consider the consequences of certain choices, and reinforces the message that suicide is not a solution to problems and that help is available. This is particularly important for adolescents who are isolated, struggling, or vulnerable to suggestive images and storylines. ”

Nota-Masse’s message also encouraged parents to talk to their children.

“We encourage you to talk with your children about appropriate and safe use of technology and social media,” the letter said.

It also reminded families that policies are in place regarding the appropriate use of technology.

“Please remind your children of the ramifications that can occur from cyberbullying or digital abuse and how this negatively impacts individual students as well as the entire school community,” she wrote.

In both messages, families were encouraged to seek out additional support and resources from police, mental health, medical or other professionals if necessary.

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