Teacher etiquette on social media
Opportunities and risks go hand in hand online. Here’s how dance teachers can use social media safely and professionally.
Heidi Speakman FISTD
Heidi Speakman FISTD
Heidi holds a Fellowship in Imperial Classical Ballet and teaches ISTD DDE, Vocational and Graded examination work. She also delivers the Level 3 Extended Diploma and runs a college and dance school in Essex, teaching students aged 4–17 and supporting their technical, artistic and professional development across all levels with care.
Social media can be a fantastic tool for dance teachers, schools, and performers. It allows teachers to share choreography, celebrate achievements, promote classes, and connect with the wider dance community. However, this sits within a rapidly changing policy landscape. The UK government has announced plans to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, with protections expected to come into force in Spring 2027. Teachers should therefore treat any online interaction with children and young people as an area requiring particular care, professionalism and safeguarding judgement.
The most important rule is to protect both your students and you as a teacher. Even when intentions are good, online interaction can be misunderstood, so clear boundaries are essential.
Keep personal accounts private
Teachers are advised to keep their personal social media accounts private. It is also sensible to use a different name, such as your first name and middle name rather than your full teaching name or surname. This makes it harder for students to find your personal account.
A personal account should be for private use only. Students you currently teach should not be accepted as followers or friends. This helps maintain a clear professional boundary between teacher and student.
Clear professional boundaries online are just as important as they are in the studio.
Be aware of the changing rules for under-16s
The government’s proposed approach is intended to reduce children’s exposure to online harms and to place greater responsibility on platforms to prevent under-16s from accessing certain social media services. The exact operational details are still developing, but the direction of travel is clear: teachers and schools should plan for a future in which social media is not an appropriate or reliable channel for communicating with younger students.
This does not mean dance schools cannot celebrate students online. It does mean that content should be managed by adults, shared through official school accounts, supported by clear consent procedures, and kept separate from direct teacher-student interaction.
Check your school’s policy
Every teacher should check the social media policy of the school or organisation they work for. Some schools may have strict rules about online contact with students, while others may allow certain forms of interaction through official pages only.
In light of the proposed under-16 social media ban, teachers should take an especially cautious approach to any online interaction with students under 16. Even where a platform or account is currently accessible, schools should avoid relying on social media as a communication route for children and young people. Communication should take place through parents, guardians or official school channels wherever possible.
Where any online engagement is permitted by school policy, written parental authorisation should be obtained and recorded. This should not be treated as permission for informal contact: it should only cover specific, professional activity such as approved tagging, reposting, sharing performance content or using an official school account.
Changing policy makes clear safeguarding processes more important than ever.
Student dance accounts
Many children have previously used dance accounts on social media, sometimes described as “parent run”. As government policy moves towards restricting social media access for under-16s, teachers should not assume that a child-facing account is appropriate to follow, tag, comment on or message. Always check directly with the parent or guardian, and consider whether interaction is necessary at all.
If a school chooses to engage with a student’s dance account, this should be through an official professional account only, with written parental permission and a clear safeguarding rationale. The safest approach is to avoid direct interaction with under-16 accounts and instead ask parents or guardians to submit approved images, videos or achievements through the school’s normal channels.
Even with permission, communication should remain professional, appropriate, and related only to dance or school matters.
As policy changes, the safest route is to communicate through parents, guardians and official school channels.
Use separate accounts
Many teachers choose to have two separate social media accounts.
One account can be a professional dance teacher or choreography page. This can be used to promote classes, share approved videos or photos, post choreography, celebrate achievements, and connect with the dance community.
The second account should be a private personal account. This should be kept separate from students and used only for friends, family, and personal life. (See the advice above about using a different name.)
This separation helps teachers maintain professionalism while still allowing them to have a private life outside of teaching.
What you share publicly should always reflect your role as a teacher.
Avoid private messaging students
Teachers should not privately message students. This is one of the most important safeguarding rules and becomes even more important as policy moves towards restricting under-16s’ access to social media. Communication should always be open, transparent, appropriate and auditable.
Where possible, turn off direct messaging settings on professional accounts. If communication is needed, it should go through parents, guardians, or official school channels rather than through a child or young person’s personal social media account.
The same rule applies to phones. Teachers should avoid giving out their personal phone number to students. If phone contact is needed for business reasons, a separate business number or official school contact system is much safer.
Teachers should not privately message students – this is one of the most important safeguarding rules.
Posting photos and videos
Before posting any photos or videos of students, teachers must have the correct consent. This should usually come from the parent or guardian if the student is under 18. In the context of proposed restrictions on under-16 social media use, schools should also think carefully about where content appears, who can see it, and whether the post encourages children to engage with a platform themselves. Avoid anything that could embarrass a student, reveal personal information, show a school location too clearly, or be taken out of context.
It is also good practice to avoid posting students’ full names, ages, schools, or locations.
If a parent withdraws consent for an image or media that has already been shared:
- Remove the image or video from all social media platforms as soon as possible
- Check if the content has been shared or reposted elsewhere and request removal where possible
- Delete the original file from any school devices or shared drives if the parent requests this
- Log the request and the action taken in writing with the date, what was removed, and where from
- Acknowledge the request to the parent in writing confirming it has been actioned
If consent is withdrawn, content must be removed quickly and responsibly.
Commenting on other dance schools’ posts
Supporting other dance schools in a professional way is perfectly acceptable. For example, commenting positively on another dance school’s official business page can show good sportsmanship and community spirit.
However, teachers should avoid commenting on personal posts made by parents from other dance schools. This can come across as unprofessional, especially if the teacher does not have a personal relationship with the family.
A good rule to follow is: interact with official dance school business pages, not personal parent or student pages.
Engage with official pages, not personal posts.
Think before you post
Teachers should remember that they are role models. Anything posted online can reflect on you as a professional, your school, and the students you teach.
Avoid posting anything that could be seen as offensive, inappropriate, aggressive, overly personal, or unprofessional. This includes posts, comments, stories, reposts, likes and shares. On Instagram, when you like a reel, it can appear in your followers’ feeds with your name and profile picture shown alongside it. On Instagram and TikTok, reposts are directly visible on your profile. This means that engaging with inappropriate content, even without posting it yourself, can still be seen by students, parents and colleagues.
Even private accounts are not completely private. Screenshots can be taken and shared, so it is always best to post with care.
Even private accounts are never completely private.
Avoid discussing students online
Teachers should never discuss students, parents, classes, competitions, complaints, or school matters on social media. Even if names are not used, people may still be able to identify who or what is being discussed.
If there is a concern about a student or parent, it should be handled through the correct school procedures, not online.
If it shouldn’t be said in public, it shouldn’t be posted.
Be careful with tags and locations
Teachers should avoid tagging students unless proper consent has been given. Location tagging should also be used carefully, especially when children are present.
Posting live updates from classes, rehearsals, or events can sometimes reveal where children are at that moment. It is safer to post after the event has finished, where appropriate.
Be mindful around exam results celebratory posts featuring students with certificates, where full names may be visible. You can blur or cover names on certificates in photos before posting.
It’s safer to post after the moment, not during it.
Maintain professional boundaries
Being friendly with students is part of being a good teacher, but being a friend online is different. Teachers must keep clear boundaries.
Students should see their teacher as a trusted adult and professional, not as an online friend. Keeping this boundary protects everyone involved.
Students should see a professional, not a peer.
AI and social media: check your Instagram settings
In July 2026, Meta briefly introduced a generative AI feature called Muse Image, which allowed people to create AI-generated images using content from public Instagram accounts. Public accounts were included by default, and users were not notified if their content was used in this way. Following criticism over privacy and consent, Meta withdrew the feature within days.
Although the feature was removed, Instagram still includes settings that control how other people can reuse your public content, including with some AI-related features. If you use social media professionally, it is worth checking these settings and reviewing them regularly.
How to check your settings on Instagram
- Go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
- Scroll down to Sharing and reuse.
- Look for options such as Allow people to create with and reuse your content and switch them off if you do not want others using your content in this way.
- You may also be able to limit reuse for individual posts through the options menu on that post.
Before you post, remember:
- Content shared from a public account can sometimes be reused in ways you did not originally intend.
- Settings and wording can vary depending on your version of Instagram, account type and location.
- As a teacher, avoid sharing anything online that could compromise your professional reputation, your privacy, or the privacy of pupils and colleagues.
- Review your privacy and sharing settings regularly, particularly after app updates or changes to platform policies.
This is a good reminder that once content is shared publicly online, you may have limited control over how it is reused or adapted in future.
Establishing a code of conduct for social media groups
Whether you run a Facebook group, an Instagram community or an online discussion forum, having a clear code of conduct helps set expectations from the outset. A well-written code of conduct encourages positive participation, reduces the risk of conflict and helps create a safe, welcoming environment where members feel comfortable sharing experiences and asking questions.
The ISTD's Facebook group guidance is built around a few simple principles that can be adapted for any professional or educational online community:
Be kind and courteous
Healthy discussion and debate are valuable, but all interactions should be respectful. Encouraging members to challenge ideas rather than individuals helps maintain a supportive atmosphere.
Do not tolerate bullying or discriminatory behaviour
All members should feel safe participating in the community. Harassment, bullying, hate speech or derogatory comments towards individuals or groups should never be acceptable.
Limit promotions and spam
Groups work best when discussions are relevant and useful to members. Setting clear boundaries around advertising, self-promotion and unrelated content can help keep conversations focused and valuable.
Respect privacy and confidentiality
Members may share personal experiences, opinions or sensitive information. Remind participants not to repost, screenshot or share content outside the group without permission. Establishing this expectation can help build trust within the community.
Be clear about what can and cannot be shared
If your organisation has confidential information, copyrighted materials or member-only resources, make this explicit in your group rules. The ISTD, for example, asks members not to share syllabus content in public groups.
A code of conduct is most effective when it is visible, easy to understand and consistently applied. Consider including it in group descriptions, pinning it to the top of your page and reposting it periodically as a reminder. By setting the tone early, administrators can encourage constructive conversations and help ensure that online communities remain professional, positive and inclusive.
Final thoughts
Social media is a useful and powerful tool, but teachers must use it responsibly and in line with changing expectations around children’s online safety. The key principles are privacy, professionalism, safeguarding, clear boundaries and readiness for the proposed under-16 restrictions.
Teachers should keep personal accounts private, avoid accepting students as followers, check school policies, gain parental consent where needed, avoid private messaging, and use professional accounts only for approved teaching-related content. For under-16s, the safest approach is to avoid direct social media interaction and communicate through parents, guardians or official school systems.
By following these rules, teachers can protect their students, their schools, and themselves while still using social media in a positive, professional and policy-aware way.
Professionalism online protects your reputation as much as your students.
Cartoon illustrations by magnific.com
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