Kaplan Test Prep recently completed its latest survey of college admissions officers, and its results suggest that students should think before they tweet and proactively monitor their social media footprint. Can your child's activity on Facebook and YouTube actually hinder their academic future?
Absolutely. While the number of college admissions officers who used search engines and social media to check up on applicants only rose minimally over last year's survey, this year uncovered a more troubling statistic. The percentage of recruiters who said that they found something during this search that would negatively affect a student's chances of admission skyrocketed almost threefold, from 12 percent in 2011 to 35 percent in 2012.
Kaplan representatives recommend that parents address social media with their children and to especially talk about what's acceptable and unacceptable to share online. "You don't have to share absolutely everything," advised Jeff Olson, the vice president of data sciences at Kaplan, to Mashable. "Check your digital trail, Google yourself, see what's out there, check your privacy settings, and limit searchability of your profile wherever possible."
Parents, have you discussed social media with your kids?
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