Manipulation Education Revisited

Back in July, I wrote a post about the idea of educating children about dark things. Like manipulation.

Not so they can use it for evil. But so they know how it works. So they can defend against it. Like the "Defense Against the Dark Arts" class in Harry Potter.

The latest headlines are proof why this is necessary.

Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that raised millions of dollars for ALS research? 

Well, another challenge went viral on TikTok this week. But one that has caused destruction in schools all over the country.

Dubbed "Devious Licks," the challenge is for school students to steal or destroy things in their school bathrooms and classrooms, video the act, and share it on TikTok.

And so, all across the nation, schools are dealing with vandalism like they've never seen.

In nearly every news report you watch, you hear the line, "School administrators are urging parents to discourage their children from this trend, and to discuss the importance of social media safety."

Like a poorly maintained building, administrators are trying to plug the educational hole after the damage has already been done. And they're asking parents to do the job for them.

It's not TikTok's fault. They're doing everything they can to shut this down.

The bigger problem is the education gap.

I've long believed there should be classes in school about social media. In particular, the behavioral aspects of social media.

And how the technology gets hooked into our minds to get us to do things we normally wouldn't.

Like destroying school property or committing a crime that would get us expelled or arrested.

Instead, social media remains something not talked about. Most parents keep their kids off it for good reason.

Until now, most parents have been okay with the platform TikTok. It's been deemed "social media for kids." But these events show that TikTok is not immune to the dangers of social media manipulation.

Imagine if this "Devious Licks" challenge were created by the school administrators themselves? As a way to reveal the troublemakers who could easily be manipulated to do such things, all so they could be expelled in one fell swoop.

Reminds you of the Emperor in Star Wars Episode 3, right...???

After all, they're videoing themselves doing it! Literally creating the evidence of the crime for the whole world to see!

As parents and educators, we want to protect our kids. And the best way we can protect them is not to hide the technology. 

It's to teach them how it works.

And more importantly, to teach them how our brains work when we use it.

Because without this protection, scary things can happen.

Today, school bathrooms and classrooms across the country are being destroyed.

Tomorrow, it could be something worse.