Social Media Use in Student Life – the good, the bad and the ugly

According to Statista, as of June 2023, one-quarter of social network users in the UK were aged 18 to 29 years. During Freshers Week, social media will be an invaluable tool for students to build connections and meet new people, as well as providing valuable support by allowing students to stay connected with friends and family back home.

There are many different social media apps and sites which encourage interaction and exchanges, such as discussion forums, instant messaging and websites that allow public commenting and posting. While social media provides many benefits, there are also a number of risks involved which can have a negative impact on a student’s time at university. In this blog, we explore the risks and common issues that a student may encounter as a result of inappropriate use of social media.

Social media and university disciplinary procedures

Students are personally responsible for what they communicate and share online or through social media. Universities have expected standards of behaviour when it comes to social media use amongst its students, and all universities will have a social media policy which sets out these expectations and the possible consequences if students do not adhere to the university’s standards of behaviour. Universities expect students to communicate professionally and respectfully at all times, and to take particular care when communications through social media can identify them as a student of the university.

If used irresponsibly, social media can result in disciplinary action being taken against a student by their university, regardless of whether the use was connected to their studies or cured in their personal life. Inappropriate and/or unprofessional use of social media can include serious consequences such as suspension or even termination of studies. Such action might be taken in scenarios where a student has posted content or made comments online about staff, students or third parties that are unlawful or discriminatory, constitute harassment, breach university policy or otherwise bring the university into disrepute. Additionally, academic breaches such as cheating and collusion, could also result in similar consequences.

Students should be aware that any communications they make might not remain private; it is not a satisfactory defence for a student to argue that an offensive or distasteful comment was not intended to be shared to a wider audience. Students must therefore consider the potential impact of their social media interactions and how their comments or posts might land with others, even if it was not intended to be seen by them. Direct messages on social media can very easily be shared, and once you have sent a message you have no control over how the message or image is shared further. Platforms such as Snapchat have features where the image or message will disappear after it has been viewed by the recipient. This can make users feel more relaxed or daring to share content which they would not share in other circumstances; however, there is nothing stopping the recipient from taking a screenshot and circulating this wider.

Non-academic misconduct

When using social media, it can be tempting to speak and act in a way which you wouldn’t if you were face-to-face with the person; however, universities expect students to conduct themselves appropriately both online and offline.

Posting offensive comments, images or other content would be a breach of your university’s policies and could result in disciplinary action. Additionally, where conduct constitutes a criminal offence, there could also be criminal consequences; examples of such conduct include harassment, stalking, hate crimes, disclosing private sexual images without consent, and malicious communications.

Universities do not condone cyber bullying or any form of harassment and discrimination. Cyber bullying can take place through social platforms, email, text or instant messaging. As an example, the University of Manchester lists the following types of behaviours in its social media guidance which it considers as a form of cyber bullying displayed through social media communications:

• Maliciously spreading rumours, lies or gossip.
• Intimidating or aggressive behaviour.
• Offensive or threatening comments or content.
• Posting private images of an individual without consent (including, but not limited to, private sexual images of an individual).
• Sharing unwanted images (including sexual images).
• Posting comments, photos, etc; deliberately mocking an individual with the intent to harass or humiliate them.
• Sending messages or posting comments with the intent to trick, force or pressure the receiver into doing something that they would not otherwise be comfortable doing (grooming).

Case study

The following case study will help put the above into context:

Student A was a member of a private Facebook Messenger group chat. This contained around ten other students, all of whom were members of the university’s badminton society. Student A considered them as good friends and the group regularly shared memes and jokes on a variety of topics. One day Student A posted a meme which used a highly derogatory phrase. The other members of the group chat called Student A out on this; Student A apologised, stating it was meant to be a joke. One member of the group took screenshots and reported the post to the university’s conduct team. Student A was suspended pending investigation, and the matter ultimately went to a disciplinary committee hearing. The allegation of making an offensive post was found proven and Student A was excluded.

This case study highlights that universities take a zero-tolerance approach to discriminatory conduct by its students, and that they will take action which may result in severe sanctions.

 

Academic misconduct

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion are the most common types of academic misconduct investigated by universities, and they can often be initiated on social media.

With the unprecedented rise of artificial intelligence (“AI”) which we have seen this year, and the increased accessibility to AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, it is unsurprising that the rate of academic misconduct investigations also appears to be on the rise. Student newspaper, The Tab, obtained figures under the Freedom of Information Act which showed that up to 40 per cent of UK universities have investigated students for using AI chatbots to cheat in their assessments since December 2022.

Snapchat, a popular messaging app that allows you to send images and videos to other users, introduced its ‘My AI’ chatbot to its users earlier this year. My AI is powered by ChatGPT technology and can answer questions, offer advice, and converse with its users. There are some key differences with Snapchat’s version however, in that users can customise the chatbot’s name, design a custom avatar, and bring it into conversations with friends. Users have reported that it doesn’t feel as if they are talking with a computer, which may give a false sense of security – however, using any form of AI to produce your assignments will be considered as plagiarism.

It is crucial that students familiarise themselves with their university’s policy on academic misconduct, as many are unaware that using chatbots to complete their assignments and presenting the work as their own constitutes plagiarism and will be taken very seriously by their university. Students should also be aware that new software is being developed and implemented by universities all the time to help detect signs of plagiarism.

Another form of academic misconduct is collusion. Collusion is where students work together to complete an assessment that should be taken independently - this is a form of cheating.

Case study

The following case study will help put the above into context:

In one case Kingsley Napley has acted on (which is very similar to a number of other cases we have dealt with), Student A was being investigated by their university for collusion after they were found to have discussed an online exam within a WhatsApp group chat whilst the exam was live. This included discussion around what to include in their answers to the questions. In this case, the university suspected that one member of the group had plagiarised the work of the other members after anti-plagiarism software detected similarities in the answers. Screenshots of the conversation were provided to the university, which demonstrated that the whole group had colluded. All members of the group chat were subsequently investigated and disciplined. This is an example of how collusion can take place, but again highlights how messages via social media, which you send in the belief that they are in a private group, can end up leading to disciplinary action. 

 

Professional courses

Students on professional courses (such as medicine, law, finance etc.) should take particular caution and pause to think before they post. As set out in our previous blog From Freshers' Week to Professional Practice: What You Need to Know, the consequences of a disciplinary finding against a student studying on a professional programme is much higher than those studying non-professional programmes, because a finding would need to be reported to the student’s relevant regulatory or professional body and/or employer. This in turn, could impact on the student being able to register with their relevant body, and in the most serious cases, they could be prevented from practicing in the profession altogether.

Additionally, many employers now carry out internet searches to check public social media profiles before making offers of employment.

 

Tips on how to use social media responsibly

There are many benefits to using social media during your time at university, particularly for students who may be moving away from home for the first time. It allows students to communicate with others and form friendships, and can provide them with a platform to express themselves in their new environment. It can also help students engage in learning. Used sensibly, social media can be a great tool and hugely beneficial to your studies and university life.  

We have put together the following top tips on how to use social media responsibly, to help avoid the risks highlighted above: 

• Think before you post, and always re-read an intended post/message to consider whether it may cause offence.
• Ensure all communications on social media are professional and respectful at all times – never post content which may be discriminatory or cause offence, or which might bring your university into disrepute.
• Be aware of the potential impact of anything you post online and the harm it might cause others – as a rule of thumb, don’t post anything that you would not be willing to say directly in person.
• Be aware of the permanence of anything you post online - don’t post anything that you would not want to be in the public domain, and remember that posts can be shared to a wider audience than you intended.
• Consider turning the privacy settings for your social media profiles to private, and consider the long-term impact of your online presence and whether this might later impact on your employment prospects.
• When using AI, ensure you do so sensibly – using it as a research tool is unlikely to cause you any issues, whereas using ChatGPT to write your essay for you could lead to punishment in accordance with your university’s plagiarism policy.
• Familiarise yourself with your university’s social media and academic misconduct policies at the outset of your degree and refresh your memory each year. If you are unsure about any aspects of it, ask your personal tutor or a member of the university’s support services for advice.

If during your studies you run into any issues surrounding your use of social media or find yourself subject to disciplinary action, it is recommended that you seek legal advice as soon as possible, as disciplinary findings can have a devastating impact on your career.

Our Regulatory team are experts in disciplinary investigations conducted by universities, as well as in the associated areas of safeguarding and the application of the Equality Act 2010.

Further information

If you have any questions regarding this blog, please contact Shannett Thompson in our Regulatory team. 

 

About the author

Shannett Thompson is a Partner in the Regulatory Team and is the firm’s Training Principal. She has trained in the NHS and commenced her career exclusively defending doctors. She provides regulatory advice predominantly in the health and social care and education sectors.