Social Networking profiles, should they be banned

Tamar Shachaf
About you Editor, Fused

While students at Bloomington High School North have been angered by the fact that social networking sites are blocked on school computers, volleyball players at a Texas high school faced a bigger issue. At a parent orientation meeting, the volleyball coach announced to the players and their parents that the players were not allowed to have profiles on social networking sites such as myspace and facebook. Angered by the fact, parents told the media and the school immediately took action. A letter was sent to parents explaining the situation, and the policy was removed. While the reasoning for the policy made sense, the policy itself was a violation of rights.
The reasoning was that students often post pictures of themselves doing things that make me considered inappropriate. While I understand that it is important to maintain a good team image, it is also important to let students exercise their rights and freedoms. If students choose to post bad pictures and comments they do KNOW the consequences that may arise and they know the risk they are taking. Instead of banning social networking profiles, the coach should simply have a talk with the players about what is appropriate and what is not. Social networking sites are just as much a way of expression as writing or music and should not be banned or limited.