Blocking social networks in schools in SP can help learning

The Secretary of Education of the Government of São Paulo (Seduc-SP) decided to block the use of social networks and video streaming services through the Wi-Fi network offered by the state administration. Since February 13, students from the approximately 5,000 state schools in São Paulo have not been able to access, during school hours, the TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Globoplay, Roblox, Amazon, Netflix, Prime Video and Twitter platforms with the Intragov network.

The decision was criticized by opponents of the government of Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), who consider that social networks can serve as a support for learning. Scientific research on the subject, however, points to the opposite: the general trend is that they hinder school performance (see details below), even though they can offer some benefits.

The blockade applies to the entire pedagogical environment of schools. Education professionals continue to have access to the aforementioned platforms through the institutions’ wired network. In addition, both students and teachers will still be able to access social networks through their own telephone operators. Even so, the measure has been rejected by some academics in the areas of education and technology.

“Instead of using social networks as a pedagogical tool (which was already foreseen), the government decides, in a very autocratic way, to block access to social networks in schools in SP”, criticized, via Twitter, a specialist from the Instituto de Technology and Society of Rio.

The government statement on the blocking says that “only applications for educational purposes are available for use through our Intragov network”, adding that the measure aims at “a better usability and monitoring of our internet link”.

In a note sent to People’s Gazette, Seduc-SP explains that “blocking access to certain applications and platforms does not preclude the use of their content for pedagogical purposes in the classroom, as foreseen by the disciplines that are part of the São Paulo curriculum”. “There are no restrictions on analyses, re-readings, discussions and reflections on social networks and the topics covered in them. The objective of the measure is to focus on the development of quality learning, without dispersing it to content considered inappropriate”, says the body.

The secretariat points out that it supports “the connection of technologies and applications to the state network in favor of strengthening pedagogical practices, including the increasing adoption of digital educational resources”. He also highlights that it continues to provide educational tools and technologies “to enrich the teaching and learning process”, such as the SP Media Center and the SP Class Diary. “The folder also has partnerships with Microsoft and Google, which provide software and tools inserted for use according to the needs of the students’ learning routine”.

In 2017, the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo released the use of cell phones in state schools, amending a 2007 law that prohibited such use. In 2018, as part of a plan to increase the use of new technologies, the previous administration, by João Doria and Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB), considerably expanded access to broadband in schools. The measure raised a dilemma for the Department of Education, since access to the government network had been facilitating the use of cell phones not only for educational activities, but also for all kinds of distractions that the internet offers.

What research says about the use of social networks in schools

Research evaluating the impact of the use of social networks within schools is still scarce. However, the studies already carried out are quite unfavorable to the thesis that networks can help in school performance.

A 2019 publication from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Netaji Subhas University of Technology, in New Delhi, compiled 22 studies from 12 different countries on Facebook use in schools. The overall conclusion was clear: using social media during class hours negatively affects student grades.

A Brazilian survey carried out with higher education students at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) published in the academic journal “Computers & Education” in 2018 showed that smartphone use during class significantly reduced student performance on tests: for every ten minutes of smartphone use in class, study participants lowered their test scores by 1.2 points on a scale from 0 to 100 on average.

In an American study from 2010, researchers evaluated the behavior of 1839 university students regarding the use of social networks and their influence on academic performance. Analyzes revealed that Facebook use negatively affected students’ grades. “Using Facebook or texting while performing an academic activity can overwhelm students’ cognitive processing capacity and impede deeper learning,” the researchers said.