Facebook warning over student rants | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Students need to be more careful about what they're posting on Facebook or risk leaving a dirty digital footprint, a social media expert says.

Waiariki Institute of Technology students are using Facebook to vent frustrations about courses, complaining about everything from packed classrooms to the quality of their courses.

The Daily Post has also been told of secondary school students behaving inappropriately online.

Social media expert and head of journalism at AUT Dr Martin Hirst warns people may end up regretting what they post online.

With social media now playing a major role in society, people needed to be more aware of their "digital footprint" he said.

Users should take time to think about whether they might regret venting online.

"People should always think before they hit enter."

Once something was published on the internet, it was generally there forever, Dr Hirst said.

People needed to consider privacy issues in relation to their personal comments as well as comments about other people.

"They need to think whether it's appropriate to do it via Facebook or whether it would be better doing it through another channel."

John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said he'd had many reports of students using Facebook inappropriately.

"They just don't put any thought into what they say."

He was amazed at the number of parents who allowed their children to have laptops in their bedrooms with unlimited access to Facebook.

Students needed to be monitored when it came to social media, he said.

"At John Paul College we really push the idea that students don't have the right to privacy when it comes to technology."

Some of the parents he'd met with about Facebook issues were horrified at the content on their child's online profile, Mr Walsh said.

Waiariki's deputy chief executive Keith Ikin said if students had issues they should go through the right channels rather than voicing their concerns online.

"We need to understand to be able to help."

Mr Ikin said Waiariki had a process for students to deal with any issues that impacted on their learning and students signed an agreement specifying that when they enrolled.

"It is a contract essentially that also outlines what the institution requires in terms of student behaviour, what the students' rights are, where to go for advice and how students can raise concerns and be supported in any of these processes."

Students going public about their concerns without taking them through the established complaints process wasn't particularly helpful to anyone, Mr Ikin said.

"Using Facebook or any other social media in this way outside of the established processes is, in my view, a breach of the student contract."

Mr Ikin said he would encourage any student with a grievance to approach Waiariki staff.

"The students' best interests are our best interests."

Students at Waiariki also had the option of approaching the student association WITSA if they had problems or complaints, president Mike Kapita said.

Most issues could be dealt with on the spot if students went through the proper channel.

"It makes it fairer for everybody involved," Mr Kapita said.