Social media, for better or worse, has quickly become a part of everyone’s life. There are many positive aspects of social media – for instance, people are now able to stay in touch with friends and family around the world. However, there are also some negative aspects about social media – one major concern people have is the lack of privacy that exists once things are posted online. If you employ a nanny, it is likely that he or she uses at least one form of social media.
If you are concerned about your family’s privacy, it is important that you set boundaries with your nanny about his or her use of social media on the job. First, if you decide to allow your nanny to use social media, you might consider “friending” or “following” him or her. This won’t give you direct control over what your nanny posts, but it will allow you to monitor those posts. If your nanny’s use of social media makes you uncomfortable, however, here are some things you may wish to discuss with him or her[1].
- Ask your nanny to turn off location services so that her “friends” and “followers” don’t know what town she’s posting from.
- If you don’t want your nanny to post pictures of your child, make it clear to him or her. If you are okay with your nanny posting pictures of your child you should set some limits: first, ask your nanny to not tag you in the pictures; second, ask that he or she post the pictures from a different location than where he or she cares for your child.
- Ask your nanny to change his or her post settings so that only his or her “friends” can see those pictures (as opposed to allowing “friends of friends” or “everyone” to view them).
- Tell your nanny that he or she should never reveal the names of your children.
- Tell your nanny that he or she should never reveal the location of your house.
- Ask your nanny to avoid writing or posting blog discussions about you and your family.
It is important that you have a conversation with your nanny about his or her use of social media as soon as possible. Including rules about your nanny’s social media use in your nanny contract will help make it clear to your nanny what social media boundaries exist. Setting these boundaries before your nanny starts working can help you control the flow of information about your family on the internet, and, most importantly, can help you protect your family’s privacy.
About the Author: James Mick “Jamie” Kessel is a personal injury lawyer with the law firm of Allen & Allen. He is experienced in handling complex injury cases including accidents involving distracted drivers, brain injury and wrongful death. Jamie has been listed in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2010 and distinguished as a “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine since 2010. Jamie primarily works out of the Richmond and Short Pump offices.
[1] http://blog.care.com/sheila/2012/06/the-social-media-nanny-dislike.html
