As students head back to school, local law enforcement is reminding parents and students to pay attention to
the risks that can come with social media challenges and online trends.
In KDWA’s biweekly phone call with Hastings Deputy Chief Bryan Schowalter, we discuss student safety, social media trends, and what parents, schools, and students can do to help keep potentially risky online behavior from becoming a real-world problem.
For parents of younger teens, Schowalter says monitoring social media starts with more than just downloading an app.
“A lot of parents depend on various apps to do the monitoring for them, but apps can be bypassed. Apps can be uninstalled and reinstalled, and the only true way for a parent to know what’s taking place as far as social media stuff is to be involved and to physically monitor the phone. We’re not necessarily talking about the 17-year-olds, but the 13, 14, and 15-year-olds. That’s something that the parents, and even younger sometimes, do. That’s something the parents need to keep in mind.”
Schowalter says school staff can help, too, by paying attention to what students are talking about and stepping in when they hear about a potentially dangerous trend.
Social media challenges aren’t necessarily a problem on their own. Schowalter says many of the activities students participate in are simply ways to have fun and connect with friends.
“Various social media and apps are a great way for kids to decompress and kind of check out and get out of the hustle and bustle of just growing up and the stressors that life brings. So, you know, we want them to be engaged with friends, whether it be physically in person or using apps like TikTok or others.”
But he says the concern comes when an activity moves beyond harmless fun and begins putting other people at risk.
“The difference is when some of these events or TikTok challenges turn into something that could be deemed as risky behavior. We do encourage some of the activities that they do and take place. I look at the squirt gun wars and the Nerf gun wars that they were having the last few years, and those are great. Go out, have a good time, have fun, and do all that stuff. The only time it ever really became an issue is when they brought that into public spaces, and now other people were being affected by it, and it led to some risky behavior.”
Schowalter points to a past incident in Lakeville as an example of how quickly a social media-inspired activity can escalate.
“Unfortunately, I look at the incident that took place in Lakeville a few years ago, where they were having
the Nerf gun wars, and it essentially escalated to the point of where they were doing it in vehicles while driving down the road, and that led to an accident with two fatalities. So, you know, common sense, where you’re doing it, what you’re doing, really is the most important thing.”
There can also be consequences when a stunt affects other people or their property.
Schowalter says what may seem like a joke to the people participating can look very different to someone who doesn’t know what’s happening.
“We have to really be mindful of how others who are not in the know about what’s going on are going to perceive what’s taking place, and then also, is anything going to be damaged or broken? So there are consequences for criminal charges. It is something that is pretty rare, but it does happen, and we have to side with the victims of this because of what they knew at the time. It is really their perception of what is taking place.”
So far, Hastings police aren’t aware of a social media trend creating a specific safety concern in the community.
Schowalter says that information came from one of the department’s school resource officers, who also told him trends can change quickly.
“The trends come and go. There’s nothing concerning at this time, but it’s one of those things that could change tomorrow. It could change in five minutes, but right now everything seems to be good. And talking to the SROs, kind of the information I’ve been given is that the schools are doing a fabulous job keeping the phones down, keeping the phones out of the classroom, and keeping kids engaged.”
Schowalter says students themselves can also play an important role in keeping their friends safe.
If they see someone talking about or participating in something that could cause harm, he says speaking up can make
a difference.
“If you see a friend doing something, or you see a friend talking about something that could be harmful or damaging, just speak up and say something to someone who’s involved, or have a heart-to-heart with your friend.”
And Schowalter says the goal isn’t to keep students away from social media.
It’s to make sure they recognize when an online trend has gone too far—and know when it’s time to step away from the screen.
“What I am not saying is don’t get involved in social media. It is a great way to decompress and take your mind off of life stressors. So enjoy what social media has to offer, but also know when it’s time to reel back, put the phone down, and have face-to-face interactions, and enjoy your friends in person instead of online.”