IT was announced on Tuesday that Renfrewshire Council will no longer be using Twitter/X and has moved its official social media communications to Bluesky (commonly described as “what Twitter used to be like” before Elon Musk took control).
As a woman who speaks out on issues affecting women, I’ve been on the receiving end of the very worst of Twitter. I’ve had men telling me that I should be set on fire and raped and detailing exactly how they would like to execute me. However, it is with my teacher’s hat on that my concerns become even more pressing.
I invite you to engage in a thought experiment with me.
Imagine a new app has been developed. It is a microblogging site that allows news to spread quickly (although, if you actually try to link news articles, your post will be significantly less visible).
Imagine this app is committed to free speech, but not legitimate political criticism. It will embody a free speech absolutist view that allows you to say absolutely anything at all, whether it is racist, misogynistic, violent, or abusive. The app will become very popular with far-right influencers and anti-vaxxers who will use it to spread misinformation. If you use the app and receive abuse, you can “block” the account, but that merely means they can’t interact with you – they can still see everything you post.
Does this sound like an app that you would want to use? Would you ever dream of having a school or primary classroom account and posting photos of children on it? I very much doubt that you would.
So why are so many schools still required to use it?
I can’t remember the precise moment when I became concerned about schools using Twitter. For some time, I think I was like the frog that doesn’t realise the water is starting to boil. However, I do remember being jolted awake when children at St Albert’s Primary School in Glasgow were subjected to a torrent of racist abuse after a photo of a racially diverse class of children went viral, thanks to it being noticed and shared by all the wrong people.
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I have also seen Twitter used for abhorrent smear and “doxxing” campaigns – where someone’s private information is publicly revealed – against gay teachers who have been left fearing for their safety.
Teachers in Scotland are trained in child protection and to recognise the signs of radicalisation and extremism. How can we genuinely do that while still using a platform that rewards exactly that kind of content, even if just to update parents on school discos and this term’s maths curriculum?
It’s time for all schools to abandon Twitter and move to a safer and more appropriate platform.
If we truly want children to be safe online, we, the adults, must set an example.
