Around December of 2021, several Instagram accounts began posting pictures of students sleeping or not wearing masks. In the past, students have taken to Instagram to post about clubs or extracurriculars so participants could be in the loop about events. Some of these newer accounts, however, document indiscriminate aspects of student life. These accounts promote bullying and are a clear example of how social media is misused at PHS.

The account that started the trend was @phssheep. It gained a massive following within the first few days of posting and was dedicated to accepting and posting submitted photos of students who were not wearing their masks properly or at all in school. During the time that the account was active, it attempted to promote proper COVID-19 safety protocol among students. The idea was to hold students accountable when they didn’t wear their masks correctly by way of public embarrassment. However, despite efforts to shame people wearing masks incorrectly and to encourage better mask practices among students and staff, the account brought about a reaction that seemed to undermine the purpose of the account. Some students attacked the account in the comments section by denying the existence of COVID-19. Moreover, many people were concerned that if they took their masks off to get a drink of water or eat their lunch, pictures of them would be posted and they would be deemed “anti-maskers.” Even so, students would jokingly repost and circulate images of their peers with their masks off, without any sort of consent. Public humiliation and mockery is not the correct way to promote mask-wearing.

One of the first accounts to follow the trend that was set by @phssheep was @princetonhssleeping, which frequently posts photos of students sleeping in class. The account posts images constantly with just a few images in each post, a tactic which is aimed at garnering likes, followers and reposts as quickly as possible. Other accounts, such as ones which post pictures of students with their significant other or slouching, have also gained popularity. All of the accounts encourage reposts and submissions of pictures.

Although posting pictures of affectionate couples or of students sleeping in class may seem like a fun way for students to engage socially, it is unethical. Relationship accounts publicize the relationships of students who may not want them to be public. They are a violation of students’ privacy. Even worse, some of these accounts choose to make fun of these relationships. For example, one account posted that it would take submissions for the weirdest PHS couples on Valentine’s Day. This promotes judgment and mockery of couples on a day that is meant to celebrate them. Accounts which post pictures of students sleeping in school are also harmful. A student could be juggling homework, younger siblings, or a part-time job, and have to duck into an empty classroom to sleep during lunch. But when a picture of this is posted to one of these accounts, hundreds of students might think they were slacking off in class. Unsurprisingly, some students have requested to have their pictures removed from these accounts. However, screenshots and reposts ensure that even if a student succeeds in removing their picture, it could still stay on the internet forever. The trend of plastering unsolicited photos of people on social media for anyone to see needs to end. A newer account, @phs_polling, polls students asking whether they approved of the high school each week. However, @phs_polling does not try to take action or inform PHS administration of the approval rating. If the account focused on asking students why they feel the way they do about PHS as well as what the administration could do to help, their popularity could amount to greater progress for the school.

The growing popularity of new accounts has resulted in more conversations regarding their content, in and outside of school. Those who do not have Instagram may feel excluded from conversations regarding the topic. On the other hand, for students who are active on the platform, these accounts lead to more distractions during class time as students try to discreetly take photos of others or check their phones for updates. The use of phones not only angers teachers but also distresses other students, who may suspect candid pictures are being taken of them.

Still, PHS students can use social media for a good cause. In previous years, students have taken to Instagram to post memes about PHS that the whole student body could relate to. Accounts like @phs.vs.internet posted captivating content that did not target or mock others. By posting memes about the school that didn’t revolve around individual students, they were able to be relevant to the school without running the risk of offending individual students. Using accounts to connect with students in a positive way while still engaging them in relevant issues is a better use of social media than ridiculing other students and the school. It’s really important to mitigate the dangerous side effects of the accounts on Instagram right now, since they can have big impacts on PHS. Many of them have hundreds of followers, and are still continuing to grow. Without a course correction, their harmful impacts will only continue to grow as well.

At PHS, social media should be used to make students laugh, not laughed at. If students want their accounts to impact and connect with a wider scope of students, they need to take a more engaging and less harmful approach to posting. If they do, these accounts could become one of the most fun things about being students at PHS.