Social media - suggested privacy settings

[enjay]

Before I write something from scratch, does anyone have a guide for staff on some suggested privacy settings on social media? We've had an incident here where a number of staff got added in to an Instagram chat by some students. I've shown them how to stop people doing that, but before we circulate that to all staff, I was wondering what other things we should suggest. Obviously it is personal choice for the staff members and some may wish to be easily discoverable, we're just aiming to help those who don't know how or don't realise how exposed they are on their socials.

[Sylv3r]

We've often tried to put something together, but as Facebook and the likes change their settings so often it was often out of date by the time it was published so we gave up !

 

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[enjay]

Yeah, a step-by-step might not be possible for the reason you give, but we could suggest the changes to make.

[JOrdan01070]

Hi, there is this page on saferinternet.org which i have used in the past not sure if it is of any help.

[enjay]

Hi, there is this page on saferinternet.org which i have used in the past not sure if it is of any help.

 

Thanks. That's more about things parents need to know. I'm after things like:

- consider not using your full name

- consider a profile photo which doesn't have your face

- can you be found in searches?

- check whether you're posting to "friends of friends"

- can anyone message you or just friends?

- is your place of work listed on your profile visible to everyone?

[APMerry]

Thanks. That's more about things parents need to know. I'm after things like:

- consider not using your full name

- consider a profile photo which doesn't have your face

- can you be found in searches?

- check whether you're posting to "friends of friends"

- can anyone message you or just friends?

- is your place of work listed on your profile visible to everyone?

 

Kind of feel like you've answered your own question here.

I think it's also important to highlight that staff are responsible for this, not the school. Social media searches are fairly common these days by employers.

 

You shouldn't need to come up with instructions, especially as the steps can change. I would just suggest staff come and see me if they want some help with applying settings.

[enjay]

Kind of feel like you've answered your own question here.

 

Yes and no, that's not an exhaustive list so I'm asking for other things we could suggest.

 

I think it's also important to highlight that staff are responsible for this, not the school. Social media searches are fairly common these days by employers.

 

Agreed, and we would say "here are some privacy things you may wish to consider", not "you must do the following". Some people aren't aware how visible they are, or don't realise how much time students spend trying to find them. This will be friendly suggestions to non-technical people, not a school rule. If a staff member wants to be easily contactable by randoms on social media because they run a business or are in some interest groups, that is their choice.

 

You shouldn't need to come up with instructions, especially as the steps can change. I would just suggest staff come and see me if they want some help with applying settings.

 

Agreed again. Most people could find these settings once they know to look for them, and Google/ChatGPT can help if not. If they want further help, my team or their other colleagues could assist if needed.

Edited March 13, 2025 by enjay