Behaving badly on social media


This week the UK's first ever ‘youth police and crime commissioner' resigned after less than a week in the post.Paris Brown, who is 17, had published a number of tweets which critics condemned as racist and homophobic.  She had also alluded to underage drinking and drug taking. The tweets were at least two years old.This is a high profile example proving that we should all (not just young people) think carefully about what we share on social media. Irresponsible use can have a serious impact on employability. Following her resignation, Brown made the following statement:

I have fallen into the trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites. I hope this may stand as a learning experience for many other young people.
An interesting aspect of this case is that Brown's employer, Kent Police, failed to vet a potential employee's social media profile and history.  A recent report suggests that 47% of employers check social media profiles of applicants immediately after they received their applications.   Kent Police's spokesperson said:
We used Kent police's vetting procedures, which do not normally involve scrutiny of social networks for this grade of post.
Perhaps these procedures will be reviewed now.Instagram arrests in SwedenMeanwhile in Sweden two teenage girls are to be charged in relation to a riot last year.    The girls are alleged to have used Instagram to shame other teenagers by publishing photographs and posting insults and comments about their sexual activities.  Hundreds of school pupils had gathered at a high school in an attempt to identify the Instagram account owner and a riot ensued.

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