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American high schools block social apps in pilot program

Xinhua, May 9, 2017 Adjust font size:

Four U.S. public schools have blocked students' access to popular social media apps during the school day to test whether their behavior, school safety and grades improve with fewer online distractions.

The pilot program, reported Wisconsin State Journal on Tuesday, kicked start at the beginning of May in four middle and high schools in Madison School District, Wisconsin.

The four schools have shut down their free wifi access to popular social apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat in a bid to let students' concentrate their attention on learning.

The pilot program will run till the end of school year of 2017, then researchers will collect behavior data and feedback from students, staff and families for comprehensive analysis. The results will be taken into consideration when the educational administrators plan relevant policies for the district.

Cindy Green, executive director of curriculum and instruction for the district, told local media that they were trying to reduce the use of cellphones and social apps during the school day.

"We are looking for ways to continually improve our school climate and increase student learning," Cindy Green was quoted as saying. Endit