Social Media and the 1st Amendment

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Social Media, one of the most influential inventions of the 21st century. It's a powerful tool that allows an individual to spread their message and ideas further than ever once possible. Almost everyone uses social media and those who don't have to make a conscious choice not. With the spread of social media comes a tricky and new challenge of trying to define rules and boundaries on the internet. As well as who can and can't punish/restrict social media and how it's used by others?

This is the question being asked by one Bay City, MI teen who is being punished for his social media usage. Attorney Philip L. Ellison is currently suing on behalf of the father of a 14-year-old boy, arguing the boy's 1st Amendment rights were violated when he was punished by Freeland High School Principal Traci L. Smith. The 14-year-old had created an Instagram account, using his Xbox, loosely based on the name of one of his teachers. The intention behind the account was to be used by him and his friends for entertainment purposes only.

Ellison argues the posts on the account are mostly odd and if not silly. However, the school deemed some of the posts as 'inappropriate'. The police were alerted once the principal was informed of the account, on investigation the police did not deem any of the content as inappropriate. The teen who created the account was initially facing expulsion, but later it was reduced to a 10-day suspension. The 'unfair' punishment of his 1st amendment rights came from the biology teacher who the teen based the name off of. The teacher supposedly failed to give the teen homework out of spite/angry which lead to the teen failing the class and having to attend summer school.

The suit is asking that the court rule that it was unconstitutional for the teen to have been punished for the teen's expression outside of school grounds and school-sponsored events. So the teen can't be continuously punished for his expression online.

Comment and share; do you believe that the teen had an unfair punishment?

Linked article:https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/01/school-violated-students-1st-amendment-rights-over-parody-instagram-account-lawsuit-claims.html

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