CENTER FOR RESEARCH FOR GIRLS
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Student Group Chat Guidelines (Grades 6-12) Purpose Group chats are already a part of students’ social lives. At Laurel School, we are not promoting or requiring group chats, nor encouraging students to join them. These guidelines exist to help students and families navigate group chats responsibly when they occur. Group chats can support collaboration, planning, and connection. When misused, they can also become spaces for exclusion, rumorspreading, or unkind behavior. These recommendations are designed to help students communicate with Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility, while supporting families as the primary guides of students’ digital lives.
Appropriate Uses of Group Chats Group chats are best used for: • Sharing homework reminders, project logistics, or team updates • Coordinating school or social events respectfully • Encouraging, supporting, and including others Group chats should not be used for: • Talking negatively about others or spreading rumors • Sharing inappropriate images, memes, or language • Teasing, targeting, or excluding others—even as a “joke” • Discussing private or personal matters better handled in person Research note: Studies consistently show that group chats can amplify peer pressure and increase the likelihood of unkind or impulsive behavior, especially when adults are not present (Hinduja & Patchin, 2018).
Adding and Removing Members • Always ask permission before adding someone to a group chat • Do not remove, mute, or create “side chats” about others without their knowledge • Creating a new chat to talk about someone instead of with them is a form of social exclusion and can harm community trust • If a chat becomes uncomfortable or unkind, students are encouraged to leave respectfully and seek adult support Why this matters: Exclusion in digital spaces can be as harmful as in-person exclusion and has been linked to increased anxiety and loneliness in adolescents (Rideout & Robb, 2018).
Tone and Content: Pause Before You Post Before sending a message, students should ask: “Would I say this out loud in front of the person, a teacher, or my parents?” Helpful reminders: • Avoid sarcasm or screenshots that could be misinterpreted • Keep messages brief, factual, and kind • Remember: screenshots are permanent—even deleted messages can be saved or shared Developmental insight: The part of the brain responsible for impulse control and judgment (the frontal lobe) is still developing through adolescence, making mistakes more likely—especially in fast-moving group chats (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016). continued