How many times have you walked through the halls in a day and seen a couple making out in the corner? It’s more than a couple times for me, and I think that’s too many; intense public displays of affection are unpleasant to be around, and should be banned.

There are many things considered public displays of affection; kissing, making out, touching, groping, tasting/nibbling. Most of these are completely inappropriate in a public location; so what’s acceptable?

I would say that it is alright to do things with your partner that you would be comfortable doing with a friend; hugging, holding hands, (not common, but I’m sure it happens on a platonic level,) and I really don’t count that as public affection, even if it falls into the category.

But anything else is intolerable. It’s uncomfortable to walk through the halls and find a couple exchanging spit.

Even if it’s a very brief kiss, it’s much preferable to do that out of school, or in a more ‘private place,’ as some people will inevitably find that awkward or feel uneasy around the situation.

I understand that some people have a lot of ‘love’ for each other, and showing intimacy is a way to express that, but there are other places to display this, aside from a learning environment.

School is a place targeted towards delivering an adequate education, not to house couples. There is a time and place for these sorts of things, but a school building isn’t one of them.

When it comes to age, as well, dating is unacceptable in the household I was raised in; ages 14, 15, 16, 17, and even 18 shouldn’t be distracting themselves from their studies with another thing to worry about. Is there a point in taking time out of your schedule just to date someone for two weeks, on average?

You can build a relationship with someone; after all, it’s encouraged to build bonds and make friends to gather connections, so dating should be considered within that. But if that happens, such activities should be outside of school; while at school, the main goal should be learning and keeping up with one’s classes.

There are other various reasons why public displays of affection aren’t a good thing around others; some people have been taught that intimacy should not be shown in the general public. Others have been sheltered from affection, and may either find it shocking or disagreeable to watch.

I believe that public displays of affection should be banned when they extend past what is appropriate; as aforementioned, anything aside from hugging, holding hands, and maybe flirting should be taken somewhere else. The PDA I want to be rid of is anything more extreme than that.

There should be more staff in the hallways preventing this from happening; if teachers will preach against public displays of affection, they should work harder to enforce that. If it’s all talk, then their words will lose worth and ultimately become pointless.