ST JAMES, Jamaica — State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green, says the Ministry of Education has partnered with manufacturing and distribution company, Wisynco, on a new island wide campaign, aimed at encouraging responsible use of social media.

The minister, who did not say when the programme started, made the disclosure while addressing the opening of the Mount Alvernia High School Computer Resource Centre in St James on Monday.

“Social media can help and it can hurt, and that is with technology in general. We have seen too many instances in recent times where unfortunately it is hurting our young people. Where unfortunately what is been shared on social media can have detrimental effects for their entire life. Their entire journey,” lamented Green.

“… It is one of the reasons now why we are partnering with Wisynco on a new campaign that we are going across the schools where we are saying to our high school students that they have to use the technology responsibly. They have to share with care. Because again, it can help, but we have seen and only recently we saw where eight students got time away from their institution for probably what they thought was being done in good fun, but as you all may have seen it, recognise it did not accord with the principles or with the principles of the school,” added Green.

Just last week, a group of students at the St Catherine High School were suspended following their participation in a sexual explicit social media challenge. In the video, students verbally expressed things they would do for sexual pleasure.

Anthony Lewis