Social media policy analysis for primary and secondary public schools and districts

Social networking sites are ubiquitous channels for communication. Adoption and use are widespread, and demographic characteristics of adopters are diffuse. With social networking sites an indelible component of the contemporary communication and information landscape, information policies have been enacted to inform, guide and regulate adopters' use in a variety of settings. Taking a census approach, this study investigates the state of social media policies in a particular setting: public schools and public school districts in the state of Tennessee. Public schools present a unique lens to examine social media policies as the contexts (intra- and extramural) and potential stakeholders addressed (e.g., students, teachers, administrators, parents, volunteers) are diverse. In particular, the age of minor students presents an interesting challenge as policies may address their social networking activities, even though students may be too young, per the terms of service agreements of social networking applications, to participate. The poster to be presented will report preliminary findings on the extent, scope and content of social media policies for 146 school districts and 1,744 public schools in Tennessee