Jaden Smith Recommends Dropping Out of School

Smith stirs controversy by tweeting to millions of young, impressionable fans that school is a brainwashing tool.

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An online controversy has erupted around Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s son, Jaden Smith. Jaden sent a series of tweets criticizing traditional education to his more than 4.5 million followers on September 12 and 13:

Some have responded by arguing that the 15-year-oldĀ Karate KidĀ star is setting a bad example for young kids who look up to him as Hollywood royalty. (Jaden is friends with Justin Bieber and dating a sister of the Kardashians.) One person tweeted, “This is why we don’t let celebrity children make decisions on the education system.”

Before being homeschooled with his sister Willow, Jaden attended the New Village Leadership Academy, a private school founded five years ago by his parents. The school used a teaching method created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard called “study-tech.” The school closed in June due to lack of funding.

[ABC News]