Ruthlyn James | How high-school TikTok raves can shape policy and culture

The latest TikTok raves – “Dance or mek the children wear edges”, “suede Clarks”, and a dozen look-alike trends – have spilled into our schools. Teachers, deans, and principals are sometimes the subjects; sometimes the punchline.

The instinct in many quarters is swift discipline and public investigations. But what if, instead of doubling down on punishment, we used this moment to understand what’s pulling our high-schoolers online – and then built bridges that keep standards high while drawing students closer?

Adolescents today live where identity, belonging, and performance intersect on a small screen. Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) reminds us that motivation and well-being rise when three needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Social platforms speak to those needs fluently – offering choice, visible skill, and instant community. When schools respond only with bans, we may unintentionally cut off the very nutrients that keep teens engaged. The smarter move is to channel those needs toward pro-social goals: student-led content guidelines, school-run challenges that celebrate respect, and digital ‘showcases’ that reward creativity without humiliating staff or peers.

Group belonging also matters. Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner) shows how young people define themselves through in-groups; they protect the group’s status and symbols – even when adults don’t “get it”. A meme about a dean’s strictness can function as a badge of cohort identity, not pure disrespect. If the school intentionally shapes the ‘in-group’ story – “At our school, we go viral for kindness, precision, and pride” – behaviour follows identity. In other words, culture eats rules for breakfast.

And there’s the power of modelling. Albert Bandura put it: “Most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling.” When administrators partner with student leaders to co-produce short videos on digital respect, conflict-de-escalation, or uniform pride – and those videos trend within the school community – we’re not just telling teens what to do, we’re showing it in their language. The medium becomes the model.

MODERNISE

This is not a call to lower standards. It’s a call to modernise how we uphold them. The Ministry of Education already provides guidance on social media use and device management in schools. Those frameworks give principals cover to act consistently rather than reactively. Embed them in student charters, explain the ‘why’, and use restorative steps – reflection posts, peer apologies on the same platforms, and content take-downs – before suspension. Clear rules plus cultural fluency equals fewer escalations.

The stakes are more than reputational. Our teens are navigating stress, loss, and post-pandemic turbulence. Psychiatrist Dr Ganesh Shetty has repeatedly warned that children’s mental health needs in Jamaica are under-attended, and many suffer in silence. If our first response to memes is public shaming, we risk pushing vulnerable students further away from adults who can help. Instead, let’s treat viral moments as check-engine lights: opportunities for guidance counsellors to listen, for schools to host ‘digital citizenship circles’, and for parents to join the conversation without panic or ridicule.

Policy must meet this moment. CAPRI’s Mind the Gap reports that only about seven per cent of Jamaican children’s mental health needs are currently being met – a sobering figure that should focus Parliament and parish leaders. We cannot discipline our way out of a support deficit. Scale counsellor coverage, expand school-based mental health clinics, and integrate media literacy modules that teach teens to differentiate satire from cyberbullying, clout from character, and applause from worth.

PRACTICAL SHIFTS

Three practical shifts can start now:

1. Invite student creators, prefects, and the students’ council to draft a Digital Respect Compact. Include red lines (no doxxing, no sexualised content, no staff humiliation) and green lines (celebrate learning wins, service projects, team spirit). When teens help draw the boundaries, they defend them.

2. Create a monthly Admin + Students 30-second reel: principal celebrates a quiet act of excellence; head boy/girl demos conflict resolution; a teacher drops a study tip. This satisfies relatedness (we see you), autonomy (students produce), and competence (skills are recognised) – the SDT trifecta.

3. When lines are crossed, require a reflective digital apology, a mediated conversation with affected staff, and a student-led lesson on digital ethics in form devotions. Reserve suspensions for repeated or severe harm. Bandura’s insight – behaviour is shaped by observed consequences – means peers will notice that respect is the route to status.

Homes need a parallel reset. Parents don’t have to be influencers to influence. Set family media norms (phones out of bedrooms at night, shared viewing, ‘call-in’ conversations instead of blow-ups). Ask curiosity-first questions: What do you like about this trend? Who are you online with? What would make this fair to everyone at school? Teens who feel seen are more likely to accept limits.

For school boards and the ministry, the policy horizon is clear: double down on digital citizenship, embed restorative practices in discipline codes, and resource mental health services. Jamaica is already leaning into digital transformation in education with UN partners; let’s make sure transformation includes cultural competence, not just devices.

To our teachers and deans: authority in 2025 is earned through presence and example more than distance and fear. “Weh yuh deh?” must be answered with “Right here, guiding you” – in the classroom and in the comment section. Set the tone, keep the bar high, and speak the dialect of the day without surrendering the values that built this profession.

To our students: creativity is your gift; use it to lift your school, not tear it down. The world will always reward clicks. Jamaica needs character. When your content honours both, you lead.

And, to the nation: don’t mistake noise for decay. What we’re hearing is youthful energy seeking shape. If we choose connection over condemnation, we can shape it toward excellence. Punishment has its place, but partnership has power. In a world where a 15-second clip can define a child, let’s be the adults who define the culture.

Ruthlyn James is the founding director of Adonijah Group of Schools Therapy and Assessment Centre. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com