Passwords and site terms and conditions

Allowing students under 13 years of age to register for a social media tool where the terms and conditions require them to be 13 years or older

Teacher S is a grade 3/4 teacher in a small rural school, therefore at times access to suitable resources and other like-age young people is difficult. Teacher S emails various schools around Victoria and asks if they would be interested in working with his students to encourage discussion and collaboration outside of the immediate school community. Three schools show an interest. As a result, Teacher S creates an online space, registers his students and begins demonstrating the functionality of the site.

In terms of your professional practice consider:

  • A student is subjected to inappropriate language within a social media tool. He reports this to his parents who are unaware that their child is participating in lessons using the social media tool as the teacher has not informed the parents or asked for written parental consent.

DET recommends:

  • DET employees in schools do not allow students under 13 years of age to register for a social media tool where the terms and conditions require them to be 13 years or older.

Misrepresenting yourself on a social media site

Teacher T has a teacher’s aide who assists her with several students in her class that have special needs. Teacher T and her students are all registered and authorised users of a moderated social networking site for young people. To obtain authorised access to the site you must be a registered teacher. Teacher T would like for her teacher’s aide to use the social networking site to interact with this particular group of students so she gives the teacher’s aide her personal login and password. To avoid confusing the students, the teacher’s aide pretends that she is Teacher T.

In terms of your professional practice consider:

  • By allowing someone else to represent you online, you become responsible for their behaviour whether appropriate or inappropriate.

DET recommends:

  • DET employees in schools do not misrepresent themselves on a social media site.