Plea to ban employers trawling Facebook

The Times Online has a story about children’s non-profits that are seeking to ban potential employers from checking social profile websites as part of the job application process. I would agree that what a child posts at age 14 is probably not relevant to a job he or she might want to get at age 22. Nevertheless, I regularly remind my students to be careful of what they publish (and, sadly, what your friends publish).

“When young people put up their personal profiles they are not thinking about
job or university applications. Typically, they are simply talking to their
mates. Employers or admissions tutors who delve into these places are being
highly and inappropriately intrusive. It’s a bit like looking at someone’s
diary,” Mr Carr told The Times.

“A world where even a 14-year-old has to think twice before posting an
adolescent poem suddenly looks very unappealing and increases the pressure
on children and young people to conform to a set of tightly focused adult
norms.”

The children’s charities are seeking clarification on whether discrimination
legislation could be used to stop companies from using social networking
sites for recruitment purposes.