The 24 hour rule: Do not act upon your anger until after a full day. Acting upon this anger could result in stupidity and suspension.

This rule, even though it is hard to follow, can help people make smarter decisions, especially when posting on social media.

“When, angry the brain makes it hard to concentrate, making it even harder to make smart decisions,” Harry Mills of MentalHealth.net said.

Many people act upon this anger and post on their social media, which could be damaging to their reputations. While at school, anything a person posts can cause them to get into trouble, even if the post is non-threatening. Everyone has the right to post anything at any time on their own accounts.

As of this year, a low number of suspensions have been based upon what teenagers have posted on their social media accounts because students only get in trouble if the post goes up during school. Sept. 26, 2018, the high school reacted to what they thought was a “gun threat” posted on Instagram, which ended in disciplinary action for the student. Based on of what was posted, this student deserved the punishment he received.

Multiple other students have gotten in trouble for what they post on their accounts; these post not being threatening in any way. Students can get in trouble when mentioning a staff member and saying something mean about them, but when saying something encouraging, they get a “thank you” from the person.

Although, these students should not be posting malign pictures and texts on social media, they still have the right to. Students create their own social media accounts and have befriended who they want on these accounts. They have the freedom to post what they want, when they want without having the fear of getting in trouble for it.

In my opinion, a student should not be getting in trouble for posting anything on social media unless they are harming others constantly, bullying or harming themselves.