The Management of Social Media Usage of High School Students in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Abstract

The study on the management of Social Media Usage of High School Students in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic has been launched in March 2017 as of 2016 academic year.  The objectives are to study the situation of Social Media Usage (SMU) of High School Students in Vientiane and its management. There are 8 schools and 377 students’ samplings from 6,312 populations.  A total of 109 key informants comprise 25 executive administers, 36 teachers, 12 parents and 36 students, both quantitative methods by questionnaires and qualitative methods by brainstorming technique were used. Findings were that students use social media to search for data, learning, entertainment, communicate with friends and for on-line business. They spend their time on social media mostly to communicate with friends and for entertainment.  hey use social media to exchange their ideas with friends, do their homework and for business purposes respectively. For management, there should be policy to control the negative impact on daily life, environment, and socio-culture. The seminar and exchange ideas among teachers to suggest how problems are solved and to formulate education-supported policy including preventing the socio-culture negative impacts that might occur in daily life. At the provincial level, the concrete policy should be implemented by cooperating educational stakeholders. At the regional level, the awareness of negative impacts and its surveillance should be a concern. At the city level, the assessment of policy implementation should be prepared for SMU in the socio-cultural aspect of the efficient youths’ way of life. The measurements of SMU have proclaimed accountability, discipline and promoting education. Training and recommendations must be initiated by teachers for the development of the students, society, and country.  For parents, not only to recommend their children to use SMU appropriately, but they need to understand if the impacts of usage are negative or positive since it is quite difficult to make such judgment. Schools and parents should hold the meeting to ensure the proper practice of SMU.  Teachers are to advise the students who tend to be trapped in Social Media misusage. The schools may provide private consultant room and training programs on the advantages and disadvantages of SMU are conducted.