This School's Bizarre Decision To Remove Bathroom Mirrors As A Way To Stop Students From Making TikToks Is Going Viral, And The Strangest Part Is That It Actually Worked

    "Kids are just going to find another way to defy authority and do what they want."

    Michaela Bramwell
    by Michaela Bramwell

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Kids today are constantly on social media, and that habit doesn't stop when they're at school.

    A group of students looking at a phone
    HRAUN / Getty Images

    Some school districts have tried to ban phones, while there are states, like Florida, that have implemented laws banning all access to TikTok on devices that use the school internet.

    A classroom full of computers
    Leren Lu / Getty Images

    Well, a middle school in Alamance County, North Carolina, has received widespread attention for its controversial decision to remove bathroom mirrors to deter students from recording their own TikTok videos, according to Insider.

    A school bathroom
    gerenme / Getty Images

    The school, Southern Alamance Middle School, has also implemented a digital hall pass to track students when they take bathroom breaks. 

    "Students were going to the bathroom for long periods of time and making TikTok videos," school spokesperson Les Atkins told WFMY News 2. The school reported that on average, students were going to the restroom three or four times per day, but that number has steadily increased to seven to nine times per day.

    Young girls in school bathroom with caption "Students were going to the bathroom for long periods of time and making TikTok videos"
    Nimito / Getty Images

    According to ABC 11, the school sent out a letter to parents that said, "Though this is an adjustment, we believe these changes will foster a better learning environment by minimizing disruptions."

    Kids on phones
    monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images

    A public school teacher on Reddit shared their opinion on the decision, writing, "I work in public schools, and a lot of schools do this just because a lot of girls will do entire make up routines in the bathroom, taking over half an hour in a single bathroom trip."

    Teenage girls applying makeup in a bathroom
    Cavan Images / Getty Images

    "I don’t know if they’re even recording themselves, but it’s a lot of people taking a lot of time. I still think the rule is kind of stupid though."

    A popular critique of the decision is that the school should have banned the students' phones instead. "Ban the phones, not the mirrors," @BenFrankli4666 wrote on Twitter, but others pointed out the potential safety issue of taking away students' phones during the day.

    Students on phones
    Fly View Productions / Getty Images

    "Honestly gun violence is a pretty legitimate reason to have a phone. Not that I'm saying it's at all of an excuse for using it but if my kid is getting shot I want them to have a phone to call me," redditor u/Lovv said. 

    One TikTok user described the decision as a "temporary fix."

    "This is only a temporary fix; it's not going to solve anything; kids are just going to find different ways to defy authority and do what they want"
    @DailyMail via TikTok / Via tiktok.com

    Another TikTok user agreed, writing, "they want to control so much in schools now.. its so weird."

    "They want to control so much in schools now; it's so weird"
    @DailyMail via TikTok / Via tiktok.com

    In recent weeks, the school has reported positive results since the changes were implemented. "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," Atkins said.

    Alamance County school spokesperson with caption "When there's accountability, you see a great difference"
    WFMY News 2 / Via youtube.com

    BuzzFeed reached out to Southern Alamance Middle School for comment. We'll update you if they respond.

    What do you think about this school's decision to remove all bathroom mirrors to limit students making TikToks? Let us know in the comments below.