A new smart phone application, “After School”,  is sweeping schools and becoming the talk of many teenagers. The app has actually been around since 2014 although it is just now gaining popularity in most high schools.

A lot of parents have major concerns with the app saying it is a form of bullying. The After School app allows teenagers to submit anonymous statements which others can comment on.  Each school has its own platform. When students sign up for the app they must register under their school and show proof by selecting schoolmates from a random list of names.

The app has been banned in several states , since many people see it as a form of bullying and venue harassment. However, After School is not the only application of its type.  Other similar apps include “Whisper”and “Shush”, as well as others that may be on the horizon.

Verona Padayao on the School Safety Team of After School responded to harassment concerns, after Officer Sheppard, the NAHS School Resource Officer, contacted the app’s team.  Padayao shared various tips to help curb these issues within the NAHS community. Sheppard asked teachers to share them with the student body this week.

As a result of this, NAHS students now have 24/7 live support for those who feel as though they need someone to talk to in regards to issues arising on the app. For example, if someone makes a post like “I’m depressed right now”, within seconds they will be connected to a support counselors.  In addition, someone is also always viewing the content posting on the app to provide further protection to its users.

As a user myself, it seems that “After School” can be used to build people up, just as much to cut people down.  In fact, most posts seem to be non-harmful or self-reflective much like Twitter or Facebook posts. Furthermore, high school students need to understand that teenagers are naive and obnoxious at times so not everything should be taken to heart. Also we need to remind students of the lesson from their elementary days: “Don’t say anything if you have nothing nice to say.”  Engaging in platforms like this does not mean everything needs to be public and  every opinion has to be shared. To one person a negative comment about them could be a laugh, but to someone else it could be the beginning of a demise in their self-esteem.

This may just be the new age of writing comments in bathroom stalls or Burn and Slam Books. Overall our society and our community have to come together as one and educate each other about how these outlets should be used.