Social Media: Do’s and Don’ts

Club officials, staff and volunteers

• Do Have separate social media accounts for cricket club and personal use
• Keep photos and personal information private
• Apply all relevant Codes of Conduct and appropriate professionalism to their behaviour online
• Obtain consent before posting any personal information online. This includes photographs where an individual can be identified
• Remember the picture/no name guidance for children
• Make your account(s) secure by enabling two factor authentication and regularly check your privacy settings for both personal and club accounts.

 

Club officials, staff and volunteers DO NOT

• Contact children by any means. Arrangements should be made via a parent/carer.
• Remember that the Rule of Two applies to all your interactions with children, whether in person or online
• Send private messages to children via apps or social media
• Invite or accept children to become ‘friends’ on social media platforms
• Respond to a direct message from a child. If this happens let a parent/carer and the Club Safeguarding Officer know
• Send or post inappropriate messages that are offensive, negative or derogatory in any way.

 

Adult Players in Open Age Teams

Please be mindful of who may have access to material you share via social media. The open age nature of cricket can mean that children are playing alongside young adults of a similar age who they may have grown up with, be at the same school as, and consider to be friends. Players over the age of 18 should remember that some of their teammates are children, and should judge their social media interaction accordingly and in line with club Codes of Conduct. Direct contact between an adult player and a child when there is a significant age gap between the two could be misconstrued. The adult should consider if this contact is appropriate.

If your relationship to those in your team changes (e.g. if you are appointed captain or coach), then your online contact with any children in your team will have to change as outlined above. If you have any questions about how to manage this change, please speak with your Club Safeguarding Officer.

If you have Concerns Regarding Social Media

If you suspect someone is using social media in an unsafe or inappropriate manner, you should report their behaviour to the platform as well as to your Club Safeguarding Officer, County Safeguarding Officer or the Safeguarding Team (safeguarding@cricketregulator.co.uk).