A secondary school in Chai Wan has issued a notice warning parents about students using WhatsApp groups to ask friends out after school or during holidays.

The notice stated that there are four problems created by the use of WhatsApp groups. These include copying homework and asking other students out after school or during holidays. Other problems suggested by the notice relate to indecent speech, gossiping and cyberbullying.

The CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School notice. Photo: Scholarism’s Facebook page.

The notice was issued by the Principal of CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School to parents of Secondary One students at the school in late October. It states that some students were causing problems by setting up different WhatsApp groups, with members ranging from a few to over 20. These problems were “worrying” and “must be confronted,” the letter reads.

“Some students who made the mistakes were appropriately punished. Discipline teachers, counsellors and social workers were also involved to help the students change their bad habits and get back on the right path,” the notice said.

The photo of the notice went viral on social media after being shared on student organisation Scholarism’s Facebook page. Within a day, the photo had almost 1,000 likes and over 400 shares.

One netizen commented that the notice showed that the school management was outdated.

CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School. File photo: Wikicommons.

James Lam Yat-fung, the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council chairman, told Apple Daily that technology has its advantages and disadvantages.

“If you utilise it well, you will receive a lot of positive information and learning opportunities but if you use it improperly, it will be devastating,” he said.

CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School’s principal said that “something bad” happened when Secondary One students went out together, and the school wanted to prevent that by reminding parents to keep an eye on their children, Apple Daily reported.

On Tuesday, a Secondary Two student from the school attempted to jump off a building when the teacher requested to see her parents. The suicide attempt was prevented by a teacher and the student was sent to the hospital afterwards.