Social Media: Students Should be Aware that Anything they Post now will be Accessible to Employers Later

Things have changed since I was young. At that time there were no social media platforms. No telling what I might have posted as a 16 or 17 year old high school student. I’m sure many Counselors that came up before Social Media became prevalent are in the same boat.

Today, we are seeing many prominent people lose their jobs because they posted “stupid” things when they were young. Do they still believe these things today? Who knows, but the words they posted many years ago live on and they are paying for things they posted at that point in time. This is a good time to have discussions with your students about what they post online. One rule of thumb I’ve found is to ask the question, “Would you say what you are posting to your family and close friends?” Many times young people get caught in the moment and don’t think before hitting that “post” button. Here are a few examples you can share with you students to drive the point home that they should really think about what they post online for the world to see:

‘The Flash’ actor Hartley Sawyer fired for racist, homophobic and misogynistic tweets

6 People Who were Fired for Social Media Posts

12 Horrendous Times People Have Been Fired Over Their Social Media

The Best Social Media Posts That Cost People Their Jobs

As you can see, there are many things that get posted that can have consequences down the road. Hopefully by sharing this with your students they will think before hitting that “post” button in the future.