The California Legislature and Governor Jerry Brown recently enacted the Online “Eraser” Law. Good news for parents concerned about social media’s impact on their children’s possible college admissions and future employment. Starting in 2015, teenagers will be able to request photos of embarrassing or otherwise youthful indiscretions be deleted by online providers. (The caveat: anyone who re-posts such photos or posts the the pictures on their own pages and tags a teen will have to similarly request the “erasing.”)
Although generally college admissions officers don’t check the online social profiles of their applicants during the admissions process, employers are known to check social media for potential employees, as another filter for narrowing their search. College-aged students may be more interested to “erase” their online profiles to boost their chances for employment in a competitive job market.
One rule of thumb about posting online and teaching friends who may post you online is: If you don’t want your mom to know, don’t post it.
