Social media has created an entirely new set of challenges for today’s youth; adversity that most of us never had to face growing up.

Whether we want to admit it or not, technology creates new obstacles and pitfalls for parents, too.

This was evidenced on both accounts last week when a conflict between a very small group of students at George Rogers Clark High School escalated into a near community panic, in large part, because of social media posts.

School officials confirmed some of the inappropriate posts didn’t come from students, but instead from members of the community. Law enforcement agencies are investigating some of the threats that could span into the realm of being criminal.

Other posts where parents truly meant well included things that simply weren’t true and exacerbated the situation.

We understand that parents are concerned about the safety of their children and want to be sure they are in an environment conducive to learning, but there is a right and wrong way of  making sure this happens.

Posting vague information and hearsay on social media isn’t the answer.

Although this situation seems to have somewhat diffused, we hope all parents take the time to talk to their children. When concerns arise reach out to their teachers, building administrators or school board officials.

We can all do more to educate our youth about proper social media etiquette, racial equality, tolerance and the consequences of actions.

These types of issues are nothing new, but social media adds fuel to the fire. Clark County is a mirror of our society and the reality is we have much work to do to learn to coexist as human beings.

The entire community must find ways to be part of the solution rather the problem, helping our youth overcome some of the unique challenges of coming of age in our digital world.