School removes bathroom mirrors to stop students making TikToks

A school in North Carolina has removed bathroom mirrors to prevent students from skiving and creating TikToks during lesson time.

"Students were going to the bathroom for long periods of time and making TikTok [videos]," Les Atkins, Alamance-Burlington School System spokesperson, explained to WFMY.

The school went on to suggest that students were using the bathroom around three or four times a day, but this has slowly increased to seven to nine times a day over time.

Subsequently, they removed the mirrors and found a notable reduction in toilet breaks.

Atkins claimed the school had seen "not as many visits to the bathroom, not staying as long, and students are held accountable, and when there’s accountability, you see a great difference."

Instead, they are implementing a Smart Pass that allows students to clock in and out of lessons and to track how long they're away from the classroom.

"We’re trying to educate students. Like we all have cell phones now. We have to learn to use them. We have to learn when to put them down," he continued.

"We strive to limit distractions so students can focus on learning," Southern Alamance Middle School said in a letter to parents, according to WTVD. "Though this is an adjustment, we believe these changes will foster a better learning environment by minimizing disruptions."

iStock

It comes after one Gen Z student went viral for influencing others to read newspapers.

Sociology and education graduate Kelsey Russell told viewers she was gifted a subscription to the Sunday New York Times for her birthday.

"And in order to bring back the newspaper, I'm going to literally document, every day, what I learn," she said in a clip that racked up 1.7 million views.

Kelsey frequently updates followers with what she learnt that day – and fellow Gen-Zers are seemingly fans of her content.

One wrote: "The newspaper is such a slay, like the DRAMA of closing a paper is equal to closing a flip phone… also you learn things but omg the drama!!!"

Meanwhile, another added: "My boomer mom cuts me out articles she’d like to discuss further, gives me a weekly curated little newspaper."

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.