We have a policy at the K-8 school I work at that students may not log on to any site that requires a username and password unless instructed to, and monitored by, a teacher. When we created this policy, we did it with thoughts on MySpace (which is now blocked by our filter) and email. However, now that many sites require usernames and passwords, we may need to reconsider this policy.
As the library media specialist I get asked at least once a day by a student if they can get on to a site that requires a password--"it's harmless", "it's safe", "I am picking from a username so I'm not really logging on" are some of the arguements they give me, and that is just the 1st graders. Sites include Webkinz (which our filter seems to block surprisingly), Club Penguin, and Garbage Pail Kids. Older students want to log on to MySpace, Facebook, and game sites like Yahoo/Yahoo Kids Pool.
Where do we draw the line? What is acceptable use, at a school, for the internet during free/afterschool/choice time? How safe are children's social sites? What are the ramifications for a school if students use these networks at school and do inappropriate things on them (or are exposed to inappropriate things).
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