Silly Bandz: Dangerous or Not?
 

Schools are banning Silly Bandz because it is said to be "A distraction."
They snap, and they can be considered dangerous. I don't understand why, but my school never had seemed to ban them. Silly Bandz are one of the biggest children's fads, but considered what was already said. They just started making body part Silly Bandz, that are parts such as hands, bones, etc. Which could scare younger children that are 7 and younger. I think they might have blood silly bands, but I can't remember. I know I did see red...silly bandz.

I could totally understand banning the things.

I work as a substitute teacher, and I can vouch for the fact that they're really distracting, especially among the younger kids. It's an uphill battle sometimes with the K-3 set, getting them to pay attention when they have these cool toys around their wrists that they can take off and play with any time my back is turned. So yeah, I call total fact on the distraction issue.

My big fear is that they're going to turn into the same thing as those jelly bracelets that were big when I was in middle/high school, where there's a code for the different colors and the whole thing turns into sex.

What a "silly" thing to get upset over.

Tamagotchis... now THOSE were distracting.

And really, jelly bracelets became color coded for sex? I've never heard that before.

Click me.

Link goes to a list of all the meanings, so don't follow it if you're uncomfortable with that stuff. I always thought it was kind of silly, but then, I never bought any either.

I was given one once, but I never bought any.

Thanks for the link though!

I guess corporate wanted me to give people lap dances? We were given red ones with the company logo for the company's 25th "birthday" or something like that.

I can see it being banned in younger schools, but not middle school. I know it's different in some districts, here elementary stops at grade 4. 5-6 is Intermediate school. 7-8 is middle, the rest is high school. I started middle school this year and while they are extremely popular and almost everyone has them, no one really gets distracted by them. Even when I do mess around with mine, it's just flipping them around. For middle schoolers and above, it's not really a toy.

Well, we never considered them to be banned, either. Although we started tons of trades and my silly bandz got taken away from an evil substitute teacher we had. She never gave them back, either.

For younger kids, yeah, definitely, but not for middle and high school. My entire high school was super obsessed with them. I had a few, and they broke easily just by stretching them, because it's silicone. I don't think that kids should have it -- I mean, the yellow ones sort of look like noodles. D: they may be tempted to eat it.

I honestly have no idea what a "Silly band" even is. The first time I saw something about them was a sign outside a party supplies store.

I know when I was younger they banned pogs. Good idea for younger kids due to the fact they were a distraction. Older kids however I don't see a point.

I really don't understand the obsession with banning things from schools. In my experience, it just makes kids come back with the objects and hide them from the teacher like some kind of black market. I remember that from when they banned Pokemon cards at my elementary school. Saying they weren't allowed didn't stop anyone from bringing them. We really just traded Pokemon cards at times while the teacher wasn't looking at them, which meant nothing truly got done.

I know about Silly Bandz and I don't think they're a bad thing. There's definitely been a lot worse things in schools, like that whole jelly band sex game that Torrinne brought up. The Silly Bandz are relatively harmless, and they're essentially a fad that will eventually go out of fashion too. Then school systems will have to worry about banning the next big thing.

My point: Banning is silly. Most of these things are only temporary and kids will find ways around it anyway, even if they do get in trouble

I found reading that page to be extremely disturbing.

Lol! I remember sex bracelets.

Never followed 'em, just wore them because I liked to fidget with them in class.

With little kids, I can understand them being a distraction, but in middle or high school, that's just silly!
...hurr hurr. xD
they're jewelry, most older kids just like to fidget, but they're paying attention, just fidgeting. XD

They're rubber bands. What do you do with rubber bands? You flick them. If you're sitting in a boring math class in the back of the room with a wrist full of rubber bands, you're going to eventually start playing with them. Then the longer you play with them, you start to think about flicking them. >> And they turn into slingshots. Everyone knows rubber bands really do hurt when you get hit with them. @[email protected] So I think the ban is a good idea, because kids will be kids and there will always be someone to ruin it for the rest.

You could say the same thing about hair ties though (I always keep a spare on my wrist but I don't mess with it much), so wouldn't you have to ban those too based on the same principle?

Maybe but o.o Hmn this might sound sexist. I think the guys would be more likely to do that then the girls.

I think it really depends on the school and the situation. I could understand a single teacher saying that if they are going to be a distraction then they are going to be put up during class, but other than that it seems a bit heavy handed to ban everything in sight. I'm in High School and we trade them and stuff. I don't have any but I think they are cool.

I looked them up and found out what they are. I see no reason to ban rubber bands. Really, it's a silly thing to ban when there are things like cell phones/ipods and things like that that are much more of a distraction.

EDIT: As with any small item I can see how small children might choke on them if they put them in their mouths other than that I really see no danger in having shaped rubber bands.

They aren't really dangerous, they are just a fad that will go out of style after a while. I bought some for my niece the other day. As long as she doesn't take them to school, then it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't think it should be "banned" in elementary school, but it depends on the school district. They are just little toys. If they are that distracting, tell the parents to leave them at home. Or have a letter sent out to the home saying, "Silly Bandz are no longer welcomed at -insert school's name here-, please make sure your child doesn't bring them to school anymore."

Middle school and high school students should know better (especially high school students) then to let such a thing distract them. :S

Anyways as I said before, they aren't really that dangerous. They are just kind of ridiculous and strange in my opinion. I am sure some of the fads from my childhood were ridiculous and strange too. So I really can't judge this generation of kids/tweens/teens.

I guess being twenty-two can do this to me. :-/

I worked at a camp this summer and all the campers had freaking silly bands...I had never even heard of them until then. I was like "what the hell is up with your jagged bracelets?" but then they showed me they made shapes...I was so confused...is this the new fad now or what? Anyways, they are dangerous, freaking kids slapping each other with them, they get caught on things... I had to confiscate about twenty of them because the kids were being jerks. I mean what the hell? Just wear the damn bracelets! Anyways, I hope I won't be seeing them in my high school this year...

Hm... depends on the summer camp too. Where I volunteer at during the school year and summer, the youth/teens are very reasonable. They aren't that "bad" with their silly bands.

So now that I gave it some thought, it depends on the community, region, and school district. It also starts at the home, if the kid knows better than not to play with them... Then they won't give the person any trouble. If they are not taught at home to behave at camp and not play with such things at camp, then there will be problems.

It is like those talking Burger King Watches I use to see (and yes I use to have one too) back in high school. Only certain teachers would take them away. Other teachers just figured; well we're almost adults soon, we might as well figure out what doesn't fly in a class room setting now before we get to college.

So like I said before, it depends on the community, region, school district, and after school program/summer camp.

If they are going to be banned, give it some thought and consider all the pros and cons.

I am sure those talking Burger King Watches could've been banned too now.

I'm probably dating myself, but for me it was those slap bracelets that were all the rage when I was in school. Harmless enough, just a flexible strip that wraps around your wrist right? Well, if the plastic covering was cut, or worse, somehow the metal itself, if could cause serious injury. My brother got gouged by one.

Every toy has its potential danger.

Personally, I'm sure the schools are banning them less as a "danger" and more because they're a distraction. Children can be distracted by anything really, but the less distractions you have around the better.

I remember slap-bands. And the ones they made for you to roll your hair in and make weird-looking buns.

Tamagotchis were a huge thing too, not dangerous, but more a distraction outright.