Why do schools ban Scratch?
The actual reasons it gets blocked
Content filters catch it by accident. School networks use tools like GoGuardian or Lightspeed that block categories like "games" or "social." Scratch fits both — there's a public community where kids share projects, and plenty of those projects are games. The filter blocks the domain wholesale.
Distraction concerns. Even when IT allows it, individual teachers sometimes restrict it because kids spend the period playing other students' games instead of building their own.
Data privacy policies. Some districts block any site that allows student account creation unless it's on an approved vendor list. Scratch requires an account to save and share work, which can trip district-level COPPA compliance rules.
What to do if your school blocks it
Ask your kid's teacher or IT department to whitelist scratch.mit.edu — most will once they understand it's an MIT education tool, not a gaming site. If that's not possible, Scratch Desktop (the offline editor) sidesteps the issue entirely since it runs locally with no internet needed.
