Stafford County Public Schools blocking students' access to TikTok

Stafford Public Schools bans TikTok from school devices

During a recent school board meeting, Stafford announced TikTok would be banned from school devices students use in the classroom and at home. Educators say it’s a distraction and there are safety and security concerns. Spoke with parents, teachers, and interviewed Digital Business Consultant about this. Loudoun and Prince William Counties have also done the same and they actually don’t allow any social media apps to be used on their devices at all. FOX 5's Sierra Fox reports.

STAFFORD COUNTY, V.a. (FOX 5 DC) - Classes are back in session and one local school district is working on how to keep students focused, starting by blocking the popular social media app TikTok.

Stafford County Public Schools uses a universal content filter to block access to websites containing mature themes, porn and drugs. Individual schools can limit or block other websites.

During a school board meeting, Stafford County's Director of Technology Jay Cooke mentioned this only works if students are using their school-issued devices such as Chromebooks or if they're connected to the school's Wi-Fi on their personal devices.

Stafford County wants to avoid students scrolling through TikTok when they should be paying attention to their teachers.

Digital business consultant Seth Schachner says there is a serious concern when it comes to data and security as well.

"As a father of three teenagers myself – I think I’ve seen firsthand, but not only the power of the social media apps but certainly there’s a lot of disruptive elements as well," Schachner says.

Some teachers say students are more concerned about social media than the lessons being taught in class whereas others say TikTok is educational.

Prince William County and Loudoun County Public Schools also block TikTok. They also don't allow students to use social media sites on school devices.