RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS News) - In Rutherford County, home to Tennessee's fourth-largest school district and more than 52,000 students, local law enforcement and School Resource Officers (SROs) continue to see an alarming trend of minor disagreements turning into major incidents. One of the largest factors in the equation is the ever-present cellphone, which the majority of students have with them 24/7.

Around 2008, a shift began to occur that continued into the next decade, opening the door to online harassment and cyberbullying that took place not only on home computers, but also on computers at school. As smartphones became more common and social media apps exploded in popularity, online conflicts increasingly followed students wherever they went.

Up until that time, kids could typically escape the average school bully by simply going home at the end of the school day. But with smartphones and social media, that's no longer the case... That was SRO Sergeant Scott Culp. He said social media apps and gaming platforms keep students connected to digital conflict without a break...

When a conflict plays out offline, it typically involves a relatively small group of students. Social media fundamentally changes that scale, allowing an argument, rumor, insult or threat to reach dozens or even hundreds of people almost instantly. That makes school discipline and safety far more complex than it was during the 1990s and even into the early 2000s.

The Pew Research Center reported in 2013 that 37% of American teenagers had a smartphone. By 2015, nearly three-quarters of teens had access to a smartphone. As the devices became nearly universal, school administrators faced the difficult task of developing rules and policies around technology that was changing at a rapid pace. Today, smartphone access among teenagers is nearly universal, and social media has become a routine part of daily life for many students.

Problems can quickly grow from small to large when what may have been intended as a vague remark is taken the wrong way. Issues become exponentially larger when a disgruntled student makes a direct threat toward another student, teacher or school through social media, a messaging app or a gaming platform... While online threats made on gaming platforms or messaging apps may be treated casually by kids, they can trigger urgent, full-scale police investigations in the real world.

According to Sgt. Culp, the most critical window for social media drama occurs between late sixth grade and 10th grade, roughly between the ages of 11 and 16. By the time students reach 11th and 12th grades, many begin transitioning toward broader concerns involving graduation, college, jobs and life beyond high school.

The 24/7 Cycle of Escalation

In previous generations, many schoolyard conflicts ended when the bell rang at the end of the day. Students went home, creating at least some physical separation from classmates and an opportunity for tempers to cool. Today, according to SRO Culp, smartphones, social media and gaming platforms can keep students connected to the same conflict around the clock.

There is often no escape from the drama. Students carry their devices throughout the day and into the night, leaving little downtime to step away from peer pressure, arguments or bullying. A disagreement that starts at school can continue through text messages, social media posts, group chats and online gaming long after students leave campus.

Another concern is early dependence on devices. Children are being introduced to smartphones, tablets and other screens at increasingly young ages. Those habits can make it difficult for some students to disconnect from the online conversations and conflicts surrounding them.

Perhaps the greatest concern for law enforcement is when virtual words create real-world consequences. Threats made through gaming platforms, social media or messaging apps may sometimes be dismissed by young people as jokes, exaggerations or comments made in anger. For police and school administrators, however, a threat involving violence or a school shooting cannot simply be ignored. Officers must determine whether the threat is credible, identify who made it and assess whether students, teachers or the school could be in danger.

For SROs, that means a disagreement that once might have involved a handful of students on a playground can now become a potentially serious incident involving parents, school administrators and law enforcement. In the smartphone era, the school bell may still signal the end of class, but it no longer necessarily signals the end of the conflict.