Block Students Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meetings

Introduction

This blog explains why and how to block students from joining old, unsupervised Google Meet sessions, which is essential for maintaining security and control in virtual classrooms. For instance, Google Meet allows students to rejoin previously hosted sessions. As a result, this can lead to unsupervised gatherings where distractions or inappropriate behavior may occur, especially if no teacher or administrator is present to monitor the activity.

Therefore, by restricting access to past Google Meet links, educators can effectively prevent students from misusing these virtual spaces. Furthermore, this ensures that meetings are only accessible during scheduled and supervised times. Moreover, this blog will also cover how Safe Doc assists in blocking access to old Google Meet sessions. Consequently, this feature reinforces a safe and controlled online learning environment. Ultimately, this approach helps schools uphold the integrity of virtual classrooms. In conclusion, it promotes a focused and secure atmosphere that is highly conducive to learning.

Why Block Students Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meet?

In virtual classroom settings, Students may sometimes reuse old Google Meet codes to initiate their own sessions without supervision, potentially breaching school communication policies. To prevent this, you need a solution to expire these unmanaged Meet codes, ensuring they can no longer be used by students.

Unlike nicknamed meetings that end as soon as all participants leave, non-nicknamed meetings can remain active for extended periods. According to a source on the Google Meet support forum, an un-nicknamed meeting expires only after 90 days of inactivity, meaning the meeting could persist for longer if students continue to reuse it.

Let’s understand the scenario through a user story:

• Problem: Ms. Thompson, a middle school teacher, noticed that several of her students were rejoining an old Google Meet link that she had used in a previous class session. Without her supervision, the students engaged in off-topic conversations and sometimes invited others into the meeting. This led to disruptions and, on occasion, inappropriate discussions that took place without any adult oversight. Ms. Thompson found it challenging to maintain a safe, structured environment when students could join old Meet sessions freely.
• Solution: To address this issue, Ms. Thompson worked with her school’s IT administrator to block access to old Google Meet links once the session ended. By ensuring that students could no longer rejoin past Meet sessions, Ms. Thompson regained control over the virtual classroom space, knowing that all interactions in Google Meet were supervised and intended for educational purposes.
• Result: After blocking students from rejoining old Meet links, Ms. Thompson noticed a significant improvement in classroom management and student behavior. Students stayed focused on current assignments and tasks without the temptation of unsupervised Meet sessions. This change helped Ms. Thompson maintain a safe, positive virtual learning environment, where all interactions were visible and accountable. Additionally, it reinforced the idea that online classroom spaces are intended for learning and collaboration under teacher guidance.

By blocking students from rejoining old, unsupervised Google Meet sessions, educational institutions can ensure that virtual interactions remain secure, on-task, and supervised, supporting a safer and more productive learning environment. 

What is a xFanatical Safe Doc?

xFanatical Safe Doc is a comprehensive solution for maintaining a focused and secure online environment for Google Workspace admins and users. It provides robust tools to manage and restrict access to various online content, ensuring a safe and productive digital environment. xFanatical Safe Doc integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, offering administrators the ability to customize content filtering policies according to their needs.

Prevent Students from Joining Old Unsupervised Google Meetings with xFanatical Safe Doc

When a student clicks on a Google Meet link, they’re placed in a waiting room where they can adjust their video and audio settings before joining. Safe Doc leverages this moment to check if the meeting has a nickname. If the meeting lacks a nickname, Safe Doc redirects the student to a Safe Doc blocked page, preventing entry. For nicknamed meetings, Safe Doc allows the student to join or request to join as usual. 

Safe Doc also introduces a 5-second waiting period in the waiting room before each student can enter the meeting. This delay provides an extra layer of control. To enforce meeting blocking, add and set the BlockUnnicknamedMeeting policy to true. By default, this policy enforces a 5 second wait time in the waiting room before students can join. You can adjust the delay up to 15 seconds by adding the BlockUnnicknamedMeetingWaitTime policy. 

xFanatical Safe Doc blocks joining from old meetings  in Google Meet

xFanatical Safe Doc keeps few seconds of waiting time in Google Meet

How to Stop Students from Joining Un-nicknamed Google Meetings using xFanatical Safe Doc

Step 1: Install Safe Doc: 

The first step is to install Safe Doc in your Google Workspace environment. Safe Doc is a browser extension that seamlessly integrates with Google workspace, providing enhanced control and security features.

Step 2: Configure Safe Doc settings: 

Once Safe Doc is installed, you can configure its settings to stop students from joining un-nicknamed Google Meetings.

Step 3: Access Google Admin Console: 

Now, navigate to the Google Admin Console. In the Google Admin Console, click on Devices followed by Chrome. Then, select Apps & Extensions and click on Users & Browsers.

Step 4: Copy the Policy: 

Locate the policy that you wish to apply and copy it. The policy will display in a specific format similar to the example provided below:

"BlockUnnicknamedMeeting": {

  "Value": true

}

"BlockUnnicknamedMeetingWaitTime": {

  "Value": 8

}

Step 5: Save the Policy: 

After copying the policy, click the Save button to apply it.

How to configure Safe Doc?

First of all, ensure the deployment of Safe Doc on your students' Chrome browsers, and review the xFanatical Safe Doc Configuration document.

Conclusion

In conclusion, preventing students from joining old, unsupervised Google Meetings is essential for maintaining a safe and controlled online environment. By restricting access to past meetings, educators can ensure that students do not enter virtual spaces without supervision, reducing the risk of inappropriate behavior and off-task interactions. This measure promotes a more secure and accountable use of digital tools, helping schools enforce guidelines that support student well-being and focus. With xFanatical Safe Doc, schools can effectively manage meeting access, creating a safer, more structured virtual classroom experience for all learners.

To learn more about how xFanatical Safe Doc can help enhance online safety in your educational institution, visit our website  Safe Doc

If you have yet to install Safe Doc, please get a 30 days trial.