Coaches and sport parents are on 24/7 alert when it comes to student athletes and their use of social media. Today’s generation of young athletes regularly use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a host of additional social media tools to express their personalities and offer their views. In most cases the messaging is safe, fun, and informative, but in other instances student athletes have made posts that are offensive, degrading, profane, or just simply in poor taste. It is for these reasons that adults pay attention to social media and offer help when needed so that the risk for questionable social media posts can be minimized, if not eliminated altogether.
Social media is accessible to everyone, and using social media is as simple as a few clicks on a phone, tablet, or computer. Often when young people use social media it is without much thought — and sometimes it’s just spontaneous reactions to the world around them. Unfortunately once a tweet or post goes out, it doesn’t come back, and the consequences for an off-color remark can be devastating.
Student athletes who use social media irresponsibly run the risk of shaming themselves, their family, and their team. Furthermore, offensive posts can hurt the chances of an athletic scholarship, and could even lead to legal recourse depending on the nature of the post. Sadly, it’s only after the fact that most young people realize this, making it even that much more important for adults to talk openly and frequently about the dangers of social media.
Below are some “Do’s and Dont’s” when it comes to social media — BE SURE TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE TO YOUR STUDENT ATHLETES!
Do’s
- Use social media responsibly! Social media is here to stay and can be used in many healthy and safe ways.
- Send out posts that are positive, friendly, upbeat, and informative whenever possible. If you are posting pictures, make sure they are not controversial or potentially offensive to people.
- Create social media pages for your team, and use social media to communicate about upcoming events, practices, games, etc.
- Check with your coach and/or AD if you think something could be taken the wrong way, or if you are looking for advice on how to develop a communication that might be misinterpreted.
- Be very careful with party pictures. For example, even though it might have been a safe party, if there are pictures of kids holding up plastic cups there’s a good chance the images could be viewed as cups with alcohol inside.
- Allow for parents, coaches, and other adults to be “friends” on Facebook and able to see all of your social media.
Dont’s
- Post social media when you are emotional! It is in these instances that people say things without thinking, often leading to bigger problems down the road.
- Assume that you can simply “take something down.” Once a post is sent out invariably somebody will take a screen shot, meaning the message will likely never die.
- Use social media with intention to harm, humiliate, embarrass, or draw unwanted attention to someone.
- Fight, argue, threaten, or degrade opponents and/or opposing schools.
- Intentionally start rumors, gossip, or hearsay.
- Use foul, vulgar, or coarse language. Keep in mind even innocent slang language can be easily misinterpreted.
For more help with this subject and many more check out Sport Success 360.
www.drstankovich.com
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