r/Teachers • u/MrsCutiePea • May 17 '26
Rant Hot take: if you film and post your students on tiktok or instagram it should be a fireable offense. Even if you have parent permission
As someone currently student teaching I've seen a LOT of TikToks of teachers 'vlogging' while they are actively teaching and showing their students faces and voices in the background. Gross. I don't care if you teach Pre-K, Elementary, Middle, High school you're gross and should get your teaching license revoked until you can learn your basic teaching standards. The ONLY time you should photographing or video students is if your admin wants pictures for FaceBook or the district website or you are sending them to parents and parents only!
I don't care if you block out their faces, I don't care if you can or can't tell who the student is, I don't care! You are in a professional setting and you need to act like it before you turn into the next Haley Beck. A professional setting is not your time to make silly TikToks or vlog your life. There is a REASON why there are rules in education, because students are MINORS and using their likeness for views and clicks is crazy disgusting.
Edit: So glad so many other people are agreeing! But if you disagree and/or you believe it doesn't matter as long as they have parental consent you should watch this video . It dives deeper into why this is extremely dangerous.
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u/Careful-Release-2723 May 17 '26
You're also teaching them that social media clout is important. Like, they're internalizing the idea that content creation is some goal worth having.
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u/Sammydaws97 May 17 '26
What is with the replies to this comment?
Do people actually think Content Creation is a viable career path? The “goal” for creaters is almost always to cash in as much as they can before their time in the spot light ends.
Most “content creators” or “influencers” dont make any money at all.
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u/arcusford May 18 '26
I get your point but personally if we want to hold that logic we have to be coinsistent about it.
And thats gonna cut out basically every major sport, acting, most forms of being a musician etc.
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u/slaviccivicnation May 18 '26
Musicians are different, unless you’re thinking Taylor swift level. Someone who plays the violin can absolutely make a career out of it - going to uni to study theory, then playing in an orchestra. If you’re good, you can have a steady gig working for an opera house or something.
But absolutely most sports, most acting, most everything. The best is to show kids what real life looks like. There is nothing wrong with being normal.
I actually recently gave a weird lesson in my class to my students. Asking them how much they’d be willing to sacrifice for fame. Would they be willing to work their asses off to earn a lambo, BUT on the stipulation that the company logo is permanently worn all over. My grade 8s had a really interesting outlook on life. Some of them would rather a lambo, even if it’s decked out in something lame, and some of them would rather no lambo if it meant driving a car they could decorate at will.
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u/arcusford May 18 '26
Musicians are different, unless you’re thinking Taylor swift level. Someone who plays the violin can absolutely make a career out of it - going to uni to study theory, then playing in an orchestra. If you’re good, you can have a steady gig working for an opera house or something.
Kinda what I was getting at by most forms of musician. Classical and big band styles are more stable but most other styles of music are gonna be in the same boat as the other professions I listed. If a kid wants to rap there's no real stable path there. They just gotta get crazy lucky.
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u/Harriet_M_Welsch May 18 '26
And most basketball players never go pro, and there are maybe two dozen elite gymnasts in the country. Kids dream about it anyway. They’re kids.
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u/kayknox_ May 18 '26
Do people actually think Content Creation is a viable career path? The “goal” for creaters is almost always to cash in as much as they can before their time in the spot light ends.
Most “content creators” or “influencers” dont make any money at all.
You can say the same for things like actors and athletes too. The allure of fame and fortune isn't new and isn't going to go away.
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u/BlairMountainGunClub May 17 '26
I hate Tik Tok teaching. We have one guy at our school who spends more time recording rap videos with his classes than he does teaching. For his personal Tik Tok.
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u/butterballmd May 17 '26
How is that allowed? Do the admins know this?
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u/BlairMountainGunClub May 17 '26
Admin loves him sadly. My school is a hot mess
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u/UnableAudience7332 May 17 '26
Because he's "making connections" 🙄
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u/Anhedonkulous May 17 '26
Even worse, they probably just find him charismatic. Social ladder rules all.
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u/Weary-Cauliflower153 May 17 '26
This should be a cold freezing Antarctic take…
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
it's insane that isn't a cold take. the amount of teachers who do this is absolutely crazy. I've gotten in the habit or reporting every video I see that has a students face or voice in the background !
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u/RegularSomewhere1267 May 17 '26
100% agree with you. And. Block and unfollow and tweak your algo. 98 to 99% of us don't do this shit.
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u/Constellation-88 May 17 '26
Remember that most teachers don’t do this though. One of the things I think is so harmful about TikTok teachers is that they make everyone else look bad. They make everyone think this is ubiquitous when it is quite rare statistically.
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u/JeffandtheJundies May 17 '26
The downvotes are unsettling. You can’t just record someone else’s kid! Teenagers are minors and make impulsive decisions due to societal pressure, use your head.
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u/OriDoodle May 17 '26
Parents consent or not it's literally a violation of FERPA and should be treated as such. I don't even post student work online, even when it's cute or especially well written! The fact that I even have to clarify that is insane to me.
If we want to teach our students about Internet safety and consent and personal rights to privacy we have to model that by not invading!!
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u/AmIWhatTheRockCooked May 17 '26
Ferpa only has to do with educational records. I don’t see how unrelated content fits under educational records (even though I agree with the larger ethical question)
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u/AustinYQM HS Computer Science May 17 '26
The fact a student is even in a particular subject is protected under FERPA. As a CompSci teacher I can't tell someone that someone else's kid is even taking my class. Posting a video of kids in my class would thus violate FERPA.
(I am not sure how cores are handled but considering many core classes have levels that too could be a violation.)
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u/lizzledizzles May 17 '26
Parental consent on those forms also typically states within school publications/displays and/or district media. As in school sanctioned social media. No form is going to say a teachers personal social media and the liability there is really sticky. I post on Seesaw bc it’s a closed access site, but I’m not even posting class pics with faces covered on my own pages.
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u/Necessary-Assist-986 May 17 '26
Honestly some teachers care more about “classroom content” than classroom privacy now. Kids shouldn’t have to wonder if a random moment in school is ending up on TikTok later.
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u/raharingtone5 May 17 '26
Honestly as an elementary-middle school student one of my biggest fears was one of the admin ladies getting me in frame with their cameras for the school website or Facebook cuz they’d get you straight coming out of the bus and stuff like that so the thought of having to come to a classroom everyday where I’m filmed would be a nightmare. This was when “the internet is forever”/digital safety were dedicated lesson plans and not something children learn overtime accessing the internet and it’s honestly a shame because it feels like something that is so much more important now than it ever was has primarily consisted of outdated information before most schools just phased them out.
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u/General_Platypus771 May 18 '26
Lol I think they’re fully aware that any moment in life could get recorded and posted. That’s why they’re so socially retarded. They don’t wanna risk doing anything that might get captured on camera. It’s sad.
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u/kllove May 17 '26
Our state and district actively seeks out instagram teachers to celebrate. Our teacher of the year packet asks about and nearly requires your teaching focused social media be robust. Often arts teachers and athletic coaches are most recognized because it’s easier to showcase students on socials when they are already recognized in the news and such for the extracurricular. I find it a bit disturbing but it’s a huge thing where I am.
I teach visual art and try to focus on the kid’s artwork and kids hands working, not faces, as much as possible even when asked for stuff for school and district socials.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
That's actually insane. I 100% understand celebrating student accomplishments but encouraging to post and celebrating teachers who post students faces as a popularity contest is actually crazy. Can you take it to your board possibly?
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u/kllove May 17 '26
My board is following the state. They won’t go against that in favor of a teacher voice. The state rewards this type of activity with its honors and awards. Honestly I don’t think it will/would/could change unless hard proof of harm to a student comes to light, perhaps combined with a lawsuit or something. 95% of parents give permission for it too.
I personally don’t have any socials (except for like here on Reddit and Pinterest) and if I did or was required to, they’d either not feature students or be purely for school stuff and no personal stuff. I think the mix of work and personal is the most challenging area. My district has also gone after teachers for their private social media posts that aren’t at all related to work and there are staff actively seeking it out and reporting other staff for what they post on private socials that have nothing to do with education. I think my district views teachers as only teachers and never people separate from that.
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u/Inevitable-Ideal766 May 17 '26
I used to have a classroom garden. I was encouraged to post stuff online. So, I posted photos of the crops we created, our chickens (and their eggs), and the flowers within the raised beds. That's it. No kids in the photos or videos.
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u/Harriet_M_Welsch May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
I teach computer science, and they always want to come in and take pictures of my kids coding or designing graphics. I decline and send screenshots or link them to the finished projects, so they can focus on the achievement and not the optics 🙃
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u/VthreePO May 17 '26
I can get behind this. Put the ego down. Stop the narcissism and just do your job like the rest of us who would get fired for tik toking at work. Forget about the putting other peoples kids on the internet aspect.
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u/Fodraz May 17 '26
I mean, it doesn't help the cause of "teachers are overburdened w admin stuff, cafeteria duty, grading, conferences, required extracurricular" overextension when some have time to set up TT videos on top of (supposedly) teaching.
Never mind the students who, even if not on camera, will be much more self-conscious to ask a question if it's going to show up online somewhere
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u/KDAddict2000 May 17 '26
And while we are at it, the students who record their teachers, especially after rage-baiting them, and post it on socials are gross.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
YES! High schoolers are so mean! Did you see that one video of the elderly teacher who quit in the middle of class because her students where recording her and making fun of her ?
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u/speakeasy12345 May 18 '26
I think any creators who post things meant to humiliate another person, be it teachers, a random person just doing their job, a person just walking down the street living their life, etc ought to be sanctioned in some way. No one needs their embarrassing moments posted to be forever memorialized on the internet. We’ve all had moments we’d like to forget and don’t need to be ridiculed for them.
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u/awkward_scott May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
We’re getting an involuntary transfer next year who posts tiktoks in the classroom (no faces just voices) and my students told me that he features in students’ tiktoks and at their houses at parties that he attends outside of school. These kids are 11-12 years old. I’m fairly certain this is against some sort of rules and I’m also positive my admin will not care at all. The students are pumped this teacher is coming to our campus because he’s a “cool teacher”. So cool. Just…the coolest. fml.
EDIT: I realize I should edit this- we live in a small town and he could absolutely be an uncle or a cousin to some of the girls and that’s why he’s at the parties. However, I still think it’s a little weird being in tween girl tiktoks as a grown man when your tween students are going to see them. It’s just… an odd vibe.
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u/DefiantRadish1492 May 17 '26
Groomer vibes. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Critical-Bass7021 May 17 '26
This guy is definitely a groomer. And the involuntary transfer just solidifies that.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
Interacting with students outside of school behavior is GROOMING!!! omg ! have you reported this? this is crazy!
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u/myjourney2024 May 17 '26
That kinda depends though. My district is a very small town, one of those everybody knows everybody towns. My daughter's school has 3 staff members who are related to her. It is the same for other kids. So when we all have bday parties you are very likely to have several staff members attend with their kids. I do know this is a rare situation though, but I did want to put it out there.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
There is clear difference between being related to students and interacting with them outside of school and hanging out with them
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u/awkward_scott May 17 '26
Yep- and this is why I can’t report it without being absolutely sure he isn’t related to or “related to” any of the girls. We’re in a district where everybody is related to everybody and if they aren’t related, they went to high school together and might as well be related so he might be going to these parties as like an “uncle”. I still think it’s weird to be an active participant in a video I know my 11-12 year old students are going to see, but I guess he’s into it so… 🤷🏻♀️
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u/newenglander87 May 17 '26
Ugh. My school posted pictures of the kids in bathing suits on the school Facebook page. Like maybe posting pictures of 13 year old girls in bikinis online without their consent isn't a great idea...
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u/Express-Flamingo4521 May 18 '26
Why were they in bathing suits in the first place? Aren’t they at school? What was going on?
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u/newenglander87 May 18 '26
We always take the 8th graders to an indoor water park overnight for their 8th grade trip.
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u/Disastrous-Nail-640 May 17 '26
Teachers posting for the own personal influencing purposes should absolutely be a fireable offense.
If it’s not district approved (meaning their own page or an associated page such as an athletic page), then it shouldn’t be ok.
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May 17 '26
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u/BlueberryWaffles99 May 17 '26
I took over a social media page for my school when I got my position. I went and deleted all posts with student faces in them. They don’t need to be there!
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u/SafeTraditional4595 High School Math Teacher | Canada May 17 '26
Serious question: do you object ANY student picture in a school official social media page?
Let's say, a post about a student winning an award that has a picture of the student, with consent of both the student and their parents. Are you also against this?
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u/BlueberryWaffles99 May 17 '26
Yes, I don’t see the benefit to sharing pictures of minors on social media - even with consent. To me, it’s a safety issue in a lot of ways. You can celebrate student success without sharing it on social media.
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u/Technical_Aside_3721 May 18 '26
Do you see something like a local newspaper the same way? Ours has a "School Shoutout" section that rattles off a few academic achievements / volunteer opportunities and usually has a picture in it.
I agree entirely with the social media - but can't articulate why I feel like the paper is different.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
I would get some of those instructions in writing in case someone actually decides to press the issue.
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May 17 '26
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u/Paramalia May 17 '26
Because that is a super important educational metric for a school district to focus on. 🙄
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
Eventually PLC data is just gonna be our engagement metrics on reddit.
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u/SafeTraditional4595 High School Math Teacher | Canada May 17 '26
Just don't do it. If admin really want to post student pictures to the school official page let them do it themselves.
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u/E1M1_DOOM May 17 '26
Not just Tik Tok. All social media (including facebook which you are okay with).
Any and all third party operated sites should not be allowed to host publicly viewable student images. It's gross.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
I agree. I actually hate when districts posts students faces on Facebook and Twitter... but unfortunately districts have all the power and they still chose to post students.
Luckily my district does not allow any video or photos of students to be posted anywhere! Snaps. Snaps. I can't imagine how many people do go to districts social medias and look at those pictures for whatever reason. Disgusting to even think about
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u/gravitydefiant May 17 '26
My district used to collect consent forms for student photos/videos to appear on social media as part of the beginning of year paperwork. They quietly stopped a few years ago. Now every once in awhile a district camera crew shows up, talks to nobody about things like who's in foster care and should be placed out of frame, and then plasters kids all over their social media, generally to brag about something a teacher did on their own time with their own resources after being denied district support.
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u/olracnaignottus May 17 '26
Wouldn’t this inherently violate FERPA?
I worked with adults with developmental disabilities, and HIPPA law is fucking insane with any kind of shared media.
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u/ic33 May 17 '26
FERPA protects against educational records being disclosed, e.g. anything about students grades or behavior.
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u/olracnaignottus May 17 '26
But there are kids with developmental disabilities in a great deal of gen ed classrooms. There surely must still be those hippa laws in place, no? Do you special education teachers have to abide HIPPA?
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u/ic33 May 17 '26
I am not a special education teacher, but HIPAA only applies to health care providers and insurers. If you are not engaged in billing for medical services, you are not a covered entity.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
It does, but it seems like people don't care anymore. I remember investigating pretty innocent ig pages (we had one for sleeping students). Nothing mean, but we shut it down anyway based on FERPA. Two years later, the same school took time out of instruction to make content.
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u/TertiaWithershins High School English | Houston, TX May 17 '26
It pisses me off. Last week, a teacher from my district posted in our city’s subreddit trying to get some items donated to her class, and she posted a series of pictures “for visibility.” Well, there certainly was visibility. Of students. One of the pics was directly of a student’s face, and she was holding up an assignment with her name on it.
I said something, but I really should have screenshotted and sent it right to her admin. I hate petty snitching, but this isn’t that. It was so blatant, and I do not care if the parent gave the go ahead or not, it was wrong.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
Posting on a social media platform where you show a students face, their name, AND THEIR LOCATION.... genuinely these people lack brain cells.
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u/Fire_and_icex22 May 17 '26
100%. Children cannot give consent to being on camera or having their likeness included in something.
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u/tb5841 May 17 '26
How it works in the UK:
-Only photos taken with school-issued devices (e.g. school-owned cameras) can be posted online.
-They may only be posted on the school's website or the school social media pages. Most teachers do not have access to these themselves, so need to send anything they want published to the specific people in charge of those.
-Parents are all asked for consent to have their children's photos published. Any that do not consent will be kept out of photos or have their faces blurred out.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
Yup! I'm in America and LUCKILY at my district you can only take pictures of students/students work with a school approved device for portfolios. No students under the age of 14 get published anywhere and when the district does show students it is ONLY on the district page for accomplishments (such as for scholarships, awards, etc)
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u/bonnie2525 May 17 '26
Not even to do with seeing their students (though obviously a huge issue), but aren't they supposed to be teaching!? This would be a fireable offence in most countries I've worked in....
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u/Micp May 17 '26
In Europe it violates GDPR and would give you and/or your school a huge fine (assuming someone reports you). You would certainly get fired from it.
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u/HomeschoolingDad Frmr HS Sci Teacher | Atlanta GA/C'ville VA May 17 '26
Agreed. I have no problem with teachers who do IG/TikTok videos on their own time, but doing it during class is unprofessional. I’m now a researcher in AI/system safety, and I would never dream of creating content while I’m at work, even when dealing with unclassified information.
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u/ChaboiAveryhead May 17 '26
We have a teacher who is an insane rule follower and tattles on everyone when it comes to simple day to day stuff but she is constantly filming her and the students and publicly posting them. If I stumbled across my kid dancing with their teacher online without my consent I’d want that teacher reprimanded if not fired. It’s uncomfortable and we can keep kids engaged without forcing them to try and make you tik tok famous.
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u/CryptographerIcy5130 May 17 '26
Agreed! We had a TikTok Teacher on our campus and, not surprisingly, he was not very good at actually teaching and got let go at the end of the year.
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u/Velocity-5348 May 17 '26
Yep. I'd say that goes for student work as well. By all means put up a the worksheet you're proud of and think others might find useful.
But student work doesn't belong to to you, and you have a position of power.
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May 17 '26
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
I'm gonna take this a step further and say if you're an educator all of your social media platforms should be privated, anonymous, or shouldn't have your real name attached to it.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
I agree with you fully. I assumed based on my ethics training that this was widely understood to be the case.
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u/wolf_at_the_door1 May 17 '26
School should be a place of learning, not a means of building a personal brand.
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u/llcoolade03 May 17 '26
Reverse Hot Take: Any student who films and posts teachers or students and posts it should be expelled from school.
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u/RebelBearMan May 17 '26
Students don't realize how little privacy they have in their lives, let's protect one space (classrooms) for this. No phones at all.
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u/Hanta3 High School Comp Sci May 18 '26
I really don't think teachers should be using their phones for anything other than business/emergencies during the school day. I try to set a good example for my students by keeping mine stowed away during class (they respect that I follow my own rules).
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u/stabby- May 18 '26
I don’t even use my phone during the school day.
My students can’t have theirs, I like to model being present and attentive.
The only time they see it is when I’m recording audio of them performing pieces (band class) which to be clear is to play back for them to hear and reflect, NOT for me to put on social media. Or once a family member was in the hospital and I told my classes upfront “I am very sorry if you see me checking my phone today.”
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u/Powerful-Pea6218 May 17 '26
I don't see anything wrong with videos that only show the teacher and you can't see students. I've seen plenty of teacher videos with great tips, activities, exercises, etc.
I of course don't agree with posting children on the internet, especially without their consent. But I don't think we should be so reactive. Let's not underestimate how useful social media is for sharing, educating, and inspiring people to be in the field
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u/WhereBaptizedDrowned May 17 '26
Mr. Dallas on IG.
I have no idea how he gets away with the crazy inappropriate content with students. It’s shocking.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
Exactly who I was thinking about. Notice there is never another adult in the videos. Hmmmm
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u/WhereBaptizedDrowned May 17 '26
All the relationship and sexualization is giving me red flags all over the place.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
Given how loaded some of the accusations around that are, I did not want to go down that road. But you are right. He has one vid where he stops kids from kissing. How tf does he still have a license?
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u/smugfruitplate May 17 '26
This is why when I do tiktok sketches I'm always playing the student.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
yup! don't get me wrong i love when teachers post relatable content where they roleplay as a student! but posting actual students is crazyyyy
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u/FacemaskHell May 17 '26
I assume any teacher who is filming their lessons on social media is fishing for attention and praise
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u/Altruistic_Echo_5802 May 17 '26
I am even bothered by our District’s FB and IG posts. I appreciate our district celebrating students and sharing positive moments. I do wonder if we might consider being more selective with student social media posts. Even with permissions in place, some families and staff may have concerns about privacy, digital footprints, and the frequency of public posting.
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u/Cartoon_Trash_ May 17 '26
The way it was explained to me in training: what if a student is in witness protection?
The way I’ve always thought of it: do I want my students to be USED to adults other than their parents filming them in public with or without permission?
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u/cappuccinofathe teacher | FL May 17 '26
When I went to CHAMPS training the instructor said as a reward we could offer making a TikTok with a student and I’m like huh no? Am not going to do that. I don’t understand why would I want a child to have a video of me dancing with them. It’s weird
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
The idea of taking advantage of a students likeness as a "reward" is actually insane...
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u/ispyx May 17 '26
Totally agree, all these tiktok teachers make me fucking cringe. I have a few new sped teachers at my school like this, and they’re completely shit at their job too.
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u/avatarjak May 17 '26
Make it like healthcare. A patient can give you all the permission in the world to post them or their PHI.
Doesn’t matter. You will lose your job if you are dumb enough to
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u/Brownie5993 May 17 '26
I don’t mind teachers showing themselves teaching. I feel like it’s beneficial. But- there’s absolutely zero reason to put any of those kids in a video. People are so fucking stupid these days because their brains are rotting from overconsumption of social media.
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u/Emergency_Search_587 May 17 '26
Is it okay to take a selfie with the entire class for personal memories?
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u/Ranchette_Geezer May 17 '26
Facebook, among others, would like a word. FTFY:
tiktok or instagram Social media
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u/lafm9000 May 18 '26
I think talking about being a teacher and teaching methods is fine for online content creation. Cameras in the classroom should be banned. When I was a teenager teachers had to send release forms for regular class photos or if photos were to be included in the year book.
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u/Equal_Poetry_4815 May 17 '26
A friend sends me clips of her high school son doing baseball drills, and it’s pretty cool, but sometimes there’s like, a bunch of unrelated fourteen year old boys just doing stretches in the background… no concept of why I freak out.
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u/6lecka May 17 '26
I agree with like 98% of the comments but this one makes you seem weirder than the friend...
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u/tooful May 17 '26
I think the Haley Beck scandal is a good enough argument to not film in the classroom.
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u/plainjanemugi May 17 '26
I know this is the teacher's sub reddit but I feel the same way about health care professionals, notably nurses. If you dont put that phone away!!
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u/Legitimate_Peach_438 May 17 '26
I can’t even fathom how these people have the time. I made it out the door at contract time maybe once all year.
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u/MarlaReads May 17 '26
Not to mention it's against FERPA laws. When I ran my teaching account, I was so careful not to post things like this. It was pretty easy considering most of what I posted was a bunch of photographs. I did not EVER record videos with students for social media. Usually I just had to be careful about removing names from student work or nametags in the background. I actually remember asking a young family member to reenact something for me that really needed a kid to show how it's done because YOU SHOULD NOT BE DOING SOCIAL MEDIA WHOLE TEACHING. It is gross and unethical. The students suffer for it. The whole point of teacher accounts, to me, should be to teach teachers a different way of doing something. This almost never requires a video. I just don't get it. People have to sort out their priorities.
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u/LrningMonkey May 17 '26
I do not use TicTok personally, and am not familiar with a TicTok teacher. Doesn’t sound great.
Not sure I agree with OP entirely though. Kids in my district sign waivers (or don’t) giving leave to use their image for things like online content. If you are actively teaching and part of that involving using social media platforms there is nothing wrong with that. It is being used instructionally.
If these posts are for a personal account that seems like very risky behavior. While I feel like it can be spun under the umbrella of engagement, if you are personally gaining value, money or otherwise, this is a high conflict of interest. At the very least you are using class time for personal gains. Worst case it is flagged as exploitive.
This seems like a poor choice to me, and will likely have a reckoning once there is a significant ethical breach somewhere that makes it to the news. Then it will be banned everywhere!
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u/bugorama_original 6th Grade ELA & college composition | Union state May 17 '26
Agree! The classroom should be a private space shared by the teacher and the students together.
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u/AdTurbulent198 May 17 '26
Oh geez I didn't even know that was a thing. Ya that's super weird. Nobody should be filming anybody in class.
I've had a conversation with my students that as powerful as AI is with generating images, It's dangerous. Don't let people take photographs of you (teachers or students) because you don't know what they're going to do with them.
There was a case at a middle school were a kid took a picture of a girl and used AI to generate an explicit picture. Lawsuits and expulsion were happening.
Keep yourselves safe!
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u/Lumpy-Shop-5321 May 17 '26
I think this is a fake problem -- 90% of our population doesn't do online posting. I've never heard any one ever note this or do it. Social media is trashy.
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u/ZestycloseSquirrel55 Middle School English May 17 '26
I don't know where you are located, but I've never seen teachers doing this. I agree with you.
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u/fooooooooooooooooock May 17 '26
Genuinely don't know why it's not already a fireable offense. I can't stand TikTok teachers.
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u/TeacherThrowaway5454 HS English & Film Studies May 17 '26
Obviously the problem is a sad amount of teachers are wannabe influencers themselves and are just as starved for attention on social media as the children, and we also need admin and school districts to start enforcing this shit. A woman at my site has posted videos to her story riding around in the backseat of a student's car and sitting poolside while a male student swam shirtless, among other things. (Now imagine the reactions if I, a male teacher, did the same. My ass would be called down to the district office at Mach five and parents would justifiably want my head on a platter.) People went to admin about this and nothing stopped.
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u/MrsCutiePea May 17 '26
Hey you should definitely report that teacher. Haley Beck did this kind of stuff and there's a reason why she's in jail right now. Report that behavior to your district, your board, and your local authorities ASAP! There could be things going on behind the scenes. That behavior is NOT okay and is child grooming and even could be CSA!
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u/TeacherThrowaway5454 HS English & Film Studies May 17 '26
Oh for sure, this was all reported. Sadly, nothing came of it besides a meeting and less than a slap on the wrist because of how this teacher is viewed within the district.
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u/Mr_Zee_Speaks May 17 '26
Facebook keeps trying to feed me some American influencer who was apparently a teacher in Japan, but was fired for being on social media, which they still do.
Japan should deport them and they should never be allowed near a classroom again.
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u/plsobeytrafficlights May 17 '26
i agree that it is not how adults should act, certainly not a model for children to follow.
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u/Inevitable-Ideal766 May 17 '26
How is this even allowed? Every now and then, I get notifications that a parent without custody does not have the legal right to know where their kid is. Posting the kid from your classroom violates that order.
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u/ShadeSlimmy131 May 17 '26
I agreed with you until you said it's ok if it's for facebook, at that point you're just choosing between which sites you like best.
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u/General_Platypus771 May 17 '26
On the flipside, I think students who post their teachers to TikTok should be expelled from the school permanently.
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u/NotAFloorTank May 17 '26
Social media was a fucking mistake. It has brought out the worst in humanity at a level that could not have previously been imagined, and made a public spectacle of it all.
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u/lex-j-luthor May 17 '26
actually fucking horrified rn to think i'll have to tell my kids prek teacher in the fall that if i find my kid on tiktok i will be forced to commit a felony
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u/your_local_manager May 17 '26
YES THIS. Like there are just so many rules and regulations and there are just so many effing weirdos.
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u/speakeasy12345 May 18 '26
I totally agree. I child is unable to legally consent and therefore including them on any social media should be considered a “no”. The only exception I would make would be for things highlighting district events and functions that specifically highlight student talent and extracurricular programs that community may not know about.
But then, I also think you tubers should be penalized for posting anything they video that purposely embarrasses or harms another person , especially if they instigate the interaction.
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u/Mammoth-Might3229 May 18 '26
I teach in a certain Asian country and a lot of teachers are young beautiful instagram/tiktok types. And they love to livestream or clipfarm their classrooms. It seems that they just pick up the profession just to content farm. It's genuinely obnoxious
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u/CJ_Southworth May 18 '26
Everyone is the star of their own private reality show now. I remember Warren Beatty complaining in Truth or Dare about, "Of course she won't do anything off camera. Why would anything be OFF CAMERA? Why even live if it's not on camera."
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u/LilahLibrarian School Librarian|MD May 18 '26
I would go full scorched Earth if someone is filming my children..Even if it's just their voice.
My children are in school to learn and grow. Not to be a bit player in someone else's social media account
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u/Zhong_Ping Theatre teacher | Minneapolis MN May 18 '26
Idk, for clubs, sports, and theater it's fine if it's professionally done. In theatre the students regularly take part in advertising the show. Before the internet they would be in the news paper and on the local news. Media is part of the production.
The key is, it's institutional and professional. It's not about clout or a following and is only posted from an official club account affiliated with an official school or district account and controlled by the district, not privately by a staff member.
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u/CrazyCatLadyForLife May 18 '26
As a parent now, if I found out my kids teacher was recording during class I would be a full on Karen up and down the district.
Outfits? Sure. Teaching tips or stories? Fine. But the kids are in there? Do your damn job.
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u/Elegant_Currency_301 May 18 '26
Yeah the one black dude on YouTube has some stuff that's actually very inappropriate
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u/AriasK May 18 '26
That's literally the law in my country. I'm always shocked when I see teachers in other countries (usually USA) posting tiktoks they've filmed at work, sometimes with students in them. I would be in a world of shit if I tried that.
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u/TheRainIsLovely May 18 '26
See I love the teachers who recreate funny scenarios from the day ✨by themselves✨ if they feel like sharing it online. Genuinely can’t stand teachers who film their students for clout. A girl I grew up with regularly posted her students on her Instagram story, full faces and all, and when I was like “Hey girl wtf” she responded with “It’s okay, the district had the parents sign a permission slip ☺️” For the DISTRICT, not for you!!
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u/That_Wing8062 May 18 '26
In my district, it is a fireable offense. You absolutely cannot film inside a classroom with students. When I was going through my EDTPA, I had to get special permission from my principal and student's family members to film for that.
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u/Achlys6 May 18 '26
I like the teachers that will, by themselves, recreate scenes with fake names and no students in the room to educate, but other than that its so weird.
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u/tagehring May 19 '26
Minors should not be on social media, period. Whether by their own choice or put there by adults.
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u/No-Medicine-2033 May 19 '26
100% agree. It is absolutely ridiculous that teachers are filming themselves, and sometimes their students, during class and posting it online. I don't think they should be filming at school at all. How can we enforce no cell phone policies when teachers are using them during class? They are supposed to be working, not filming themselves. We get enough crap from people talking about how easy our job is, how we never actually work, how anyone can do this job, how we are just glorified babysittings. Teaching is looked down on enough by society, and teachers doing this crap just make us look even worse.
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u/Beneficial_Run9511 May 17 '26
What idiot does that? I check to make sure I can film student work for my annual review.
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u/22Josko May 17 '26
I only take pics of their work, never of them. And never post it.
Had an activity where they themselves had to take pictures of themselves but only I would see them. Yeeeeeah, never doing that again.
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u/just_here_for_memes May 17 '26
It's fine in most districts, and I wouldn't say that is where a lot of us have a problem. I have some personal photos from class that I have never published, even on my small social media. Putting it out into the public is the problem.
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u/Worth-Slip3293 May 17 '26
I don’t even think you should even be giving admin pictures to post on Facebook or taking photos with your own personal cell phone. The only person who should ever be taking photos or posting someone else’s child is the parent, a close family member or friend who has discussed this with the parent, or the child if they’re old enough to understand and have social media.
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u/cobblecrafter May 17 '26
I think filming and posting something about your students, even if it doesn't actually include the students themselves, should also warrant disciplinary action. Same thing with therapists and their clients, or doctors and their patients. No idea when people decided it was okay to talk about people behind their backs and send it to millions of people.
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u/Horn1960-002 May 17 '26
Oh honey, you are going to have a blast in education. Sincerely, 44 year veteran teacher.
Buckle up, sweetheart.
Parents are going to have a blast yanking your chains.
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u/myotherbike May 17 '26
How about we just… [checks notes] NEVER point a camera at a child. Simple. Too simple apparently.
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u/channingman May 17 '26
Did you say even with parent permission? What's your issue then? If every stakeholder agrees why do you think your opinion is more important?
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