Social Networking Sites What a Secondary School Counselor Should Know and Teach

Social Networking Sites: Implications for Secondary

School Counselors

Social Networking Sites (SNS) first rose to popularity with teens with the advent of MySpace, in 2003, and Facebook, in 2004. The two web sites became widely used to communicate though messaging and online chatting and to share personal updates, photos, and music. Reviews by education researchers such as Gri-th and Liyanage (2008) suggest that SNS have immense value for promoting academic dialogue and social support for special interest groups. However, as the popularity of SNS expands among secondary school students, school officials, particularly school counselors, face a myriad of potential difficulties that often result from improper use. Academic dishonesty, cyberbulling, and exposure to possible sexual predation from adults are common issues associated with SNS (Livingston & Brake, 2010). Continued research on the incidence and nature of SNS misuse and victimization continues to inform policy development for secondary schools and secondary school counselors.

Most secondary school counselors are charged with implementing systems to support social-emotional wellness and reduce risky behaviors within their school communities. Student use of SNS poses an extremely complex variety of issues related to cyberbullying and risky behaviors, including sexual activity and substance abuse. Teens can use SNS such as MySpace and Facebook to post public or semi-private comments of a harassing nature, and on Facebook, for example, it's also possible to post photographs and videos. While both sites have policies regarding appropriate use and inappropriate content, information, videos, and photos can often be shared publically prior to being blocked or removed by the site administrators (Burgess, A., Patchin, J.W., Hinduja, S., 2010). The social-emotional issues associated with cyberbullying and the misuse and abuse of SNS can be serious and lasting. Students report problems with low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety after incidents of online harassment or victimization, and these affects can require in-depth counseling support and peer group intervention. Livingston and Brake, (2010) note that counselors can and should take an active role in cyberbullying prevention, educating students about the pitfalls and potentially severe consequences of SNS misuse.

A critical area of prevention work for school counselors is to educate students about the safe and proper use of SNS for socializing and collaborating on academic work or school related events and projects. In their investigation of cyberbullying, Burgess et. al (2010), noted that the majority of social networking sites allow users to use privacy setting, block unwanted information, and prevent the sharing of unwanted photos or videos. Students and parents should be instructed on these safeguards and encouraged to use them. Burgess et. al (2010) also developed a comprehensive set of guidelines for appropriate and ethical use of social networking as it applies to adolescents and young adults in a school community, and they encourage school leaders and districts to adopt similar guidelines.

In some school districts policies strictly prohibit the use of SNS and other restricted web sites in school buildings or on school campuses. Gri-th and Liyanage (2008) note that SNS, however, have developed a unique role within the sphere of the Web, and schools must consider this in order to make well-reasoned decisions regarding blocking. Many individuals currently use social networking sites such as Facebook to communicate, and for, some it is widely used in place of email for informal and formal communication. Unlike previous online service communities, such as AOL, Facebook and MySpace are available free of charge, which makes their use more wide-spread. Any user can connect with other users by private message and by posting comments on the another user's page. Groups can also communicate with each other using lists similar to email lists. Users can also participate in a two-way conversation using chat tools. Previously schools controlled the use of chat sites and photo or video sharing by using filters to limit students Web access on school computers. With the current widespread use of Facebook for communication and networking there may be a greater push to allow access within school settings. This presents schools and SNS site creators with the issue of how they can control and block unwanted information, while allowing for the use of key tools available through SNS. These issues subsequently present the question of whether schools and school districts will eventually have to develop policies regarding the appropriate use of social networking sites that are separate and distinct than those developed for general Internet or email use (Gri-th and Liyanage, 2008).

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of reducing risks of SNS misuse is the extremely rapid transmission of information, and the ability for users to create false accounts and delete information quickly. For example, a user can post a harassing or threatening comment, sexual content, or even promote the sale of illegal substances using an SNS account. These messages and content will be instantly posted and shared, and can be downloaded or forwarded by others before they are deleted by the creator. As a result, an act of inappropriate use or cyberbullying can have an extremely wide-reaching effect in just a short period of time and can quickly be erased by the user to avoid any legal or disciplinary consequences. Diamanduros, Downs, and Jenkins, (2008) note that school psychologists and counseling staff should work in concert to develop policies for the proper investigation of cyberbullying and inappropriate or illegal use of SNS in school communities. Disciplinary policies should also be clearly defined with thorough consideration of the offense and predicted psychosocial effects on the victim(s).