Social Media Policy

Intent

This Policy establishes James Cook University’s (JCU; the University) expectations for staff, students and Affiliates when engaging with social media in contexts where a connection to the University is identifiable. It aims to guide responsible use and support high-quality contributions to public discourse at local, national and international levels.

This Policy is to be read in conjunction with the:

• Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech Policy, which articulates the University’s commitment to free and open debate. Nothing in this Social Media Policy limits the right of staff and students to engage in lawful public discourse or criticism in their personal capacity, in line with that commitment.
• Digital Technologies Acceptable Use Policy, which has provisions on limitations on use of University digital assets and credentials for social media.

This Policy addresses Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) Standards 2.3 and 7.1-2.

Scope

This Policy applies to all University staff, Affiliates and students (including the Singapore and Brisbane campuses) who:

• create content and social media sites on behalf of JCU or one of its controlled entities;
• post content on social media platforms that are managed, owned or controlled by JCU or one of its controlled entities;
• act, or purport to act, as an authorised representative of the University via any social media platform; or
• use social media in a personal capacity and identify their connection with the University.

This Policy does not apply to:

• the use of social media where there is no identifiable connection with the University, its staff, students or Affiliates; or
• communications which are made in a private and personal capacity, unrelated to University business, University affiliations or University activities, and, which do not use JCU’s digital infrastructure or digital resources.
• unrelated social media profiles, pages or accounts which have no clear connection with JCU, but may include comments about the University.

Definitions

Except as otherwise specified in this Policy, the meaning of terms used are as per the Policy Glossary.

Policy

1. The University:

1.1 encourages and supports the ideal of the ‘engaged academic’, ‘engaged student’ or ‘engaged Affiliate’ who, via social media and public commentary, are participating in the sharing of information, opinions and ideas that showcase the University’s research and scholarly expertise and the delivery of learning and support services, or otherwise contribute to public discourse;

1.2 expects that the same high standards of communication, behaviour and conduct are observed and complied with online as those standards that are expected personally in the workplace and/or in the study environment;

1.3 recognises the power of using social media to communicate beyond traditional audiences and provide flexible teaching and learning opportunities;

1.4 sees the potential to enable equitable engagement by staff, students and Affiliates through these platforms; and

1.5 understands social media provides succinct communication options across multiple platforms.

Use of Social Media

2. The following expectations apply to staff, students’ and Affiliates’ use of official or personal social media where there is an identifiable connection with the University:

2.1 Staff are to identify themselves using their relevant University appointment and communicate in a professional manner when engaging on social media in their Official Capacity or otherwise associating themselves with the University online.

2.2 All Official JCU social media sites are to comply with the University’s policies and procedures on Use of Corporate Identifiers and other branding requirements. Official University social media accounts, channels or networks are to be developed in consultation with JCU Marketing where relevant. Official social media communications will uphold the same standards of accuracy and integrity as other published information.

2.3 Any accounts, pages or platforms existing without prior authorisation as required will be subject to review when discovered and may be amended or removed. Unofficial JCU-related social media presences (e.g., student clubs and student administered study groups) not managed or approved by the University must not:

2.3.1 use the JCU Australia or JCU Singapore logo (as relevant);

2.3.2 purport to represent the University; or

2.3.3 breach the relevant staff or student Code of Conduct, or the Digital Technologies Acceptable Use Policy (Australia) or the Information Communication Technology Acceptable Usage Policy (Singapore).

2.4 Staff are only to offer advice, support or comment on topics that fall within their area of responsibility and/or academic or professional expertise, and must not misrepresent their expertise.

2.5 Staff, students and Affiliates are to act in good faith and to uphold the good reputation of the University when initiating or responding to social media.

2.6 Staff, students and Affiliates will not disclose confidential information or information that may bring the University into disrepute on social media.

2.7 Staff, students and Affiliates are to respect the privacy of others and at all times must comply with the Information Privacy Policy, related legislation and subordinate legislation.

2.8 Staff, students and Affiliates are to respect copyright and not post, or seek to post, content that includes material that is not their original work or that in any way infringes copyright or the intellectual property of another person (including the University) without proper attribution and/or acknowledgment of that work. This may include photographs, videos or slide presentations.

2.9 At all times while engaged in social media, staff, students and Affiliates will act in accordance with the Staff and Student Codes of Conduct (as appropriate), the Gender-based Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures, and other applicable policies, procedures and charters of the University.

2.10 Staff, students and Affiliates’ social media use in connection with JCU must not breach privacy, copyright, human rights and anti-discrimination laws, or any other laws. Interactions on JCU’s social media are not to include content that is illegal, harassing, hateful, or racist including but not limited to:

2.10.1 profanity;

2.10.2 spurious or derogatory comments;

2.10.3 sexually explicit language, videos or images;

2.10.4 copyrighted material (without lawful excuse or permission);

2.10.5 defamatory content; or

2.10.6 another person’s personal information (including phone numbers and email addresses).

2.10.7 Staff, students and Affiliates may also have a duty of care to maintain the standards of their professional discipline when using online social media, for example, when undertaking clinical or professional practice/placements. Any inappropriate use of social media may have reporting or registration ramifications under a discipline-specific code of ethics or professional conduct requirements (such as Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, or the Queensland College of Teachers).

3. Where applicable, Official JCU social media sites will meet accessibility standards and guidelines.

4. The University monitors its Official social media sites and may determine, in its absolute discretion, to remove (without notice) any content including comments, photos, videos or other content that is considered inappropriate. Guidance for moderators can be found in the JCU Social Media Guidelines.

5. When moderating official JCU social media, the University will distinguish lawful expression of opinions from prohibited conduct. Content will only be removed if it violates this Policy (e.g. is unlawful, threatens safety or rights, or significantly breaches respective Codes of Conduct). Differences of opinion or robust debate - including critique of the University - will not be censored solely because they may be controversial or critical.

6. Posts or materials created with the assistance of generative AI tools (e.g., large language models, image generators) must be critically evaluated by the user before sharing on social media. Staff, students and Affiliates remain responsible for any content they publish, regardless of origin. AI-generated content should be clearly disclosed as such when appropriate, and must not be shared if it contains unverified information, infringes copyright, or could mislead audiences about its authorship. All AI-generated content is subject to the same standards of accuracy, integrity and legality outlined in this Policy.

7. The University will examine posts on external social media sites of which it becomes aware, that threaten or incite harm to its staff, students, Affiliates or facilities, or any posts that threaten the University’s reputation, particularly when the post is false or misleading. The University will take action to the extent possible (including removing content) where it considers a post breaches this or any other policy.

Reporting and Complaints regarding use of Social Media

8. Any person can report content they believe is inappropriate to the site administrator or, where relevant, the moderator of the specific social media website, online platform or online application on which the content appears.

9. Any person can report serious cyberbullying, image-based abuse, or other online harm – in Australia to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, which has powers to investigate and direct removal of offensive material, and in Singapore to the Online Safety Commission (from 2026). .

10. Any reporting or complaint regarding the moderation of a JCU Official social media site must be addressed at first instance with the site’s moderator.

11. Content posted by external users on JCU’s Official social media sites does not necessarily reflect the University’s views. However, the University may hide or remove comments that potentially defame, harass, or otherwise breach law, in line with its legal obligations as an online publisher. JCU will also comply with any lawful requests (such as court orders or eSafety notices) to take down content.

12. Complaints regarding social media conduct will be addressed under the appropriate University process: Staff misconduct on social media is managed per the Staff Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedure; Student social media misconduct is managed under the Student Code of Conduct (General Misconduct Procedure); the Gender-based Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy; or the Copyright Policy or Information Privacy Policy – whichever is most relevant to the nature of the report or complaint, and any breaches of law (e.g. unlawful harassment) may be referred to external authorities.

Related policy instruments

Social Media Guidelines

Code of Conduct - University Council

Staff Code of Conduct

Student Code of Conduct

Gender-based Violence and Sexual Misconduct Policy

Digital Technologies Acceptable Use Policy

Copyright Policy and Procedure

Information Privacy Policy

Work, Health and Safety Policy

Use of Corporate Identifiers Policy

Divisional Professional Experience Placement Procedures where relevant

Schedules/Appendices

Nil

Related documents and legislation