The Research Files Episode 68: Regulating teachers’ social media use

Teachers are thought of by many as an important role model in the community. And when it comes to drawing a line between a teacher’s professional and personal life, this can be challenging, particularly when it comes to their private use of social media.

This idea has been explored by two researchers from the School of Law at Western Sydney University – Dr Sandy Noakes and Dr Sarah Hook. Their paper, which looks at the status of regulation of teacher behaviour on social media in Australia, found a huge variance in the social media policies that are in place for educators at schools across the country, and that there is room for teachers to be more aware of their rights in this area.

The impetus for this research was a decision made by the High Court in Australia in 2019 on the Comcare and Banerji case, which you’ll hear Sarah and Sandy refer to throughout this episode. This case involved an employee of the Australian Human Rights Commission who used a private, anonymous Twitter account to criticise their employer’s policies. Their employment was terminated because of this behaviour and when they fought this decision in court, the decision of the employer was upheld.

So, could something similar to this happen in the education field? What should school leaders keep in mind when creating or reviewing social media policies? And, what rights should teachers be aware of? Both Sandy and Sarah join me today to discuss these points and more.

Host: Dominique Russell

Guests: Dr Sandy Noakes and Dr Sarah Hook

Sponsor: Australian Volunteers