Facebook And Twitter Posts Now Under Observation, Buckingham University Watching Students’ Mental Health
ByA lot of students use Facebook and Twitter to vent out and express their thoughts. Which is why students are now being required to have their Facebook and Twitter feeds monitored. This move is in line with Buckingham University's radical plan to improve mental health and prevent suicide. The Vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Sir Anthony Seldon, started the initiative.
Sir Anthony Seldon aims to take mental health in the spotlight. According to the prominent educationalist, action is needed to tackle the mental health crisis in universities everywhere, as reported by the Evening Standard.
Buckingham University is planning on becoming Europe's first "positive university." Sir Seldon explains that they are using positive psychology to help its staff and students of over 2,500 in population, to be more engaged in their studies. This move to create a more positive environment was prompted by a growing number of students who are mentally distressed. Colin Martin, a professor in the university, acknowledges that mental health is a hot topic. He adds that although teachers are not mental health professionals, they know that mental health is a critical issue, as reported by Get Bucks.
According to reports, 130 student suicides were recorded in England and Wales in 2014 alone. Sir Anthony says that what these students are experiencing are needless suffering. He also explains that if a student is suicidal, the staff would not be able to find out.
Which is why Buckingham students are going to have their comments on social media combed and monitored. Social media posts on Facebook and Twitter are honest indicators of a person's mental state.
The work will be done by an algorithm that detects positive or negative emotions. School staff are able to then measure the university's positive plan. Monitoring Facebook and Twitter posts may seem invasive for some but Buckingham University is committed to maximize the understanding of their students' psychological needs.
In other related news, a young teenager recently took her life on Facebook Live via the Fox news clip below:
