Social Media Policies in Intercollegiate Athletics: The Speech and Privacy Rights of Student-Athletes

Social Media in Higher Education

“…There is a delicate balance between institutional control and student rights given the restrictive nature of social media policies for athletes (Snyder, Hutchens, Jones, & Sun, ). Snyder and colleagues () noted that since 2012, 12 states have passed laws that limit the extent to which colleges and universities can monitor social media use. Additionally, these laws have been enacted largely in response to the treatment of the student‐athlete population, who often are reduced of their free speech and privacy rights as a result of social media policies.…”

Going for Gold: Social Media and the USOC

“…27, No. 1, 2017 the most protected but often one of the most questioned rights in sport (Epstein, 2012;Gay, 2011;Sanderson, Snyder, Hull, & Gramlich, 2015;Snyder, Hutchens, Jones, & Sun, 2015). Snyder et al (2015) discussed the passage of laws in 12 states to limit student-athletes' usage of social media and the ability for a university to provide oversight and limit student-athletes' use of various platforms.…”

“…1, 2017 the most protected but often one of the most questioned rights in sport (Epstein, 2012;Gay, 2011;Sanderson, Snyder, Hull, & Gramlich, 2015;Snyder, Hutchens, Jones, & Sun, 2015). Snyder et al (2015) discussed the passage of laws in 12 states to limit student-athletes' usage of social media and the ability for a university to provide oversight and limit student-athletes' use of various platforms. They found that the laws were not treating the student-athletes fairly, because those laws limited student-athletes' ability to use social media, with limitations often emanating from a state actor (i.e., a federal, state, city, or municipal entity often receiving federal funding).…”