Schools do not need a public square. They need closed classes, staff who can moderate today, and no ads or ranking of pupils. Most groups still land on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok because that is where families already are. Below: usual school needs, then concrete pairings with tools from this dossier.
| Need | Why it matters | Closed default | FLOSS / NGI start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed classes | Pupils should not be a public audience | Facebook Groups, Instagram class accounts | Bonfire, locked-down Mastodon |
| Staff moderation | A teacher must act locally, not via a distant ticket | Platform trust and safety | Instance admin, local moderators |
| Minors and consent | Age, parental consent, no tracking of children | Opaque age-gates | School-run accounts, no ads |
| No ads, no ranking | Feeds must not optimize for time on platform | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube | Pixelfed, PeerTube, Mastodon |
| School-controlled hosting | Data and policy stay with the institution | US / cloud SaaS | Self-host, or a hoster the school chose |
| Parent reach | Families need notices without a pupil Instagram or a mixed WhatsApp group | WhatsApp class groups, Instagram | School-only Mastodon / Bonfire channel |
| School podcast / radio | Audio from lessons, clubs, or the school station should not live on a commercial recommender | Spotify, YouTube | Castopod |
| School forum / clubs | Clubs and subject boards need threads, not a public ranking feed | Lemmy |
| School use | Closed (typical today) | FLOSS / NGI in this dossier |
|---|---|---|
| Class or school channel | Instagram, Facebook | Mastodon, Bonfire, Pixelfed |
| Lesson or event video | YouTube, TikTok, Twitch | PeerTube |
| School events | Facebook Events | Mobilizon |
| Student voice / council | Instagram polls, commercial “civic” apps | Decidim |
| Parent / family notices | WhatsApp groups, Instagram | Mastodon, Bonfire |
| School podcast / radio | Spotify, YouTube | Castopod |
| School forum / clubs | Lemmy |
Back to the general tools comparison.