As years goes by, social media is becoming a prominent space for individuals to connect with one another. The virtual space is now being used in classrooms. For example, many teachers use Facebook and Interest for class assignments. Social media has beneficial uses, but teachers should use it with caution. An ethical dilemma of that occurs with teachers and social media is should teachers befriend students on social media accounts. There are positives (i.e. a convenient way of helping students after class time) and consequences (i.e. risking being charged with or accused of sexual harassment) to befriending students on social media. This ethical dilemma is individual verses community. The teacher must decide if the positives for their students are worth the possible consequences.

There are positives for teachers to befriend their students on social media. Some people say that teachers befriending students is beneficial for introverted students. Students may be afraid to ask questions in class or voice their opinion on the subject matter, but social media allows students to asked questions without the face to face contact. Social media is convenient and the teacher can quickly respond to the student.  Some say that teacher connecting with students over social media can improve academic performance. Even though teachers befriending students on social media has positives it also includes its share of negatives.

One huge issue with teachers befriending students on social media is the risk of sexual harassment. Many teachers have lost their license over sexual harassment charges and accusations. Some states created laws that prevents teachers from befriending students on social media, because of sexual harassment. Another downfall, is students using inappropriate language on teacher pages and post. Students can use social media to publicly embarrass their teachers. The person at stake is the teachers themselves because they can end up losing their licenses and risked being embarrassed.

I feel that the risk is not worth the reward. There are many ways for teachers to assist students after school with using social media. For example, teachers can hold after school tutoring, email students, and connect parents. This ethical dilemma is teleological/consequence-based because the teacher must decide if they want to deal with the possible consequence of never teaching children again.