The Confessions page, also known as @confession_barking on Instagram, had been around since the spring of 2023 and has been used since March of this year when the school district put a mandate for all accounts using GAPS profiles that were not officially affiliated with the school to be shut down. 

     The owner of the page was pulled into the counselor’s office and warned of consequences that could occur if parents found the account. A previously existing page, @westalbanyslumped, was also removed after its owner was sued by a person whose image was posted without consent. With the possibility of getting sued and a negative image of the district and school hanging over the owner’s head, they decided to shut it down. But was it for the better or worse?

     Many students encountered hate speech, slurs, racist jokes in the comments and confessions, yet the amount of followers increased. The “drama” and interest on the news going on around the school is what kept students on the page, but by giving the power of being able to post anything to high schoolers, it came with its faults. Negative posts about other people and crude language had a very negative impact on students who were targeted, but with every bad side, a good one is found. Students enjoyed the page as a way of entertainment and anticipation of whether something would be said about themselves or people they knew. 

     Though some students are trying to bring back a confessions page for students, in the end, it will never replicate the impact of the original confessions page. As a student body and a staff, the dangers of having an open page for high school students to state whatever they want comes with its pros and cons, but in the end, it is best to leave the confessions page as a fond or poor memory and move on.