ADE launches social media awareness campaign "SMACtalk" for students, teachers, parents - KATV

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Arkansas Department of Education is launching a new campaign to bring awareness to the use of social media.

The campaign called "SMACtalk" launched last year and will be even bigger this year.

“When we first launched SMACtalk last year, our goal was to share helpful tips and resources for safely using social media and the internet,” ADE Secretary Johnny Key said. “The campaign, however, grew beyond what we expected, largely due to the overwhelmingly positive reception from educators, parents, and students. We are excited to expand the campaign this school year and will provide new resources, opportunities for involvement, and heightened awareness to this issue.”

With more kids online with virtual learning since the start of the pandemic, the ADE wants to make sure they’re as safe as possible. Ray Girdler with research and technology said the ADE recognizes the opportunities that computers, the internet, and social media bring for learning and life.

"We want parents and teachers having an open conversation with their kids about how to be safe and how to be healthy when they’re on the internet," Girdler said. "This idea is like, 'Are you using social media in a way to make a purposeful difference?' And that’s what SMACtalk is trying to do."

However, Girdler said the department of education also understands social media can come with hazards.

"Cyberbullying is part of the campaign, because when you spend more time online all of those behaviors that...



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