Education Week article features insight from Jeff Carpenter on Seattle school district suing social media platforms

Carpenter, professor of education, spoke with reporter Arianna Prothero for the Jan. 9 article.

A recent article from Education Week on a Seattle school district suing social media platforms includes insight from Professor of Education and Director of the Teaching Fellows Program Jeff Carpenter.

Jeff Carpenter, professor of education and director of Teaching Fellows Program

Seattle Public Schools recently filed a suit against the companies that own TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, stating that their platforms are key to the deterioration in students’ social, emotional and mental health.

Carpenter told reporter Arianna Prothero that social media in schools can have its benefits allowing adolescents and teens to connect with new communities and perspectives. He added that it’s important for schools to teach students how to use social media responsibly because it’s not going away.

“At the same time, it’s a lot to ask schools to be in charge of fixing or preventing all of the real problems wrought by social media. The social media companies need more regulation and accountability, but in the absence of signs that such regulation and accountability is forthcoming, maybe a school district trying something like this lawsuit is not a bad thing,” Carpenter told EdWeek.

The full article can be read here.