With a world full of teenagers who cannot seem to keep their heads out of their phones, it is essential that social media classes be taught in schools. The world of the Internet is only growing bigger, and as more and more people are getting on social media, the risks of being on different platforms are growing. Other countries, like the United Kingdom, have already made the nation-wide decision to add courses about cybersecurity to their curriculum.

The world of technology is an ever-expanding place, and if the United States wants to stay at the forefront of technological advancement while maintaining the security and happiness of its citizens, then it is essential for the country to start teaching classes about social media.

I’m not asking that every school around the country suddenly teach students how to write a tweet or properly caption an Instagram photo; rather, I think that schools with large populations of tech-savvy kids should offer a course on topics like cybersecurity and cyberbullying. Curricula could focus on issues like online privacy and the dangers of posting personal information. In addition, teachers should teach students how to manage privacy settings on their social media platforms.

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, “92 percent  of teens report going online daily.” With this kind of exposure to the Internet, many teens and parents are concerned with online safety, and rightly so. In the same study by the Pew Research Center, 92 percent of teens posted their real name on at least one social media site, 71 percent have posted the town in which they live and 71 percent have posted the school that they attend.

Finding personal information about most people is fairly easy, especially in a world where all types of things are posted on social media for just anyone to find.

In the same vein, these types of courses could also offer information about the best ways to stop online bullying and what to do if it happens to them or someone they know. Although they may claim the opposite, many teenagers are unaware about what to do if they encounter online bullying. Of course, they may simply close the computer, but this does not eliminate the source of the problem.

There are also big-picture, long-term benefits to teaching classes about computers. According to the U.S. News and World Report, “vacancies for STEM jobs are going unfilled in large numbers.” In specific, there are “some 40,000 computer science bachelor’s degree earners each year but roughly 4 million job vacancies for computer workers.” Our country has a shortage of computer science employees. Introducing kids into this field at the high school level may convince some indecisive teens to pursue a degree in computer science or software engineering, both of which are fields that are in desperate need of new graduates. Many large technology companies, like Google and Facebook are always interested in hiring new, young, innovative graduates, but there is simply no one available to hire. 

Many teens would love to work at cool technology firms, just simply do not have the exposure to computers. “Programming is so much harder than you’d think,” Lauren Grant, junior, said. Many students like her feel the same way, and for this reason many decide to transfer from a technical field to a liberal arts major. One of the greatest causes of this phenomenon may be that teens simply have not had the exposure. “I think it would be helpful to learn about computers more, but I’ve never really been given a class that I think is relevant to me,” Mitchell Larson, junior, said.

Regarding careers in social media, “almost every company has someone on staff who is responsible for [it],” according to Jim Belosic, CEO of Shortstack.com. “At smaller companies, the person who manages it might be the same person who handles public relations or marketing. At bigger companies, there is usually a dedicated employee who could command a salary of $50K or more.”

Belosic said social media jobs require much more than a basic knowledge of Facebook and Twitter; rather, a company’s social media–what he calls “a voice for your brand”–should be managed by “someone who knows how to expertly track, measure and improve social media efforts.” Targeted communication, creativity, marketing and advertising skills, intuition and critical thinking skills are several abilities Belosic said are crucial for someone who wants to work in social media.

“The role of social media manager has become a necessity for businesses, so keep your resume and skills fresh and up to date by staying on top of the latest trends, tools, and best practices—and you’ll have better odds of landing the job you want,” Belosic said.

If America wants to protect the safety of its youth and produce a more computer-literate society, then social media classes should be taught in schools.