Should Universities Have Access to Athletes Social Media?

State lawmakers who represent North Baltimore want to prevent schools in the University System of Maryland from requiring student athletes to give coaches access to their social media accounts.

The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’ s Department of Athletics recently updated its social networking policy requiring teams to have a coach or administrator have access and monitor the social media accounts of team members.  

“Each team must identify at least one coach or administrator who is responsible for having access to and regularly monitoring the content of team members’ social networking sites and postings (“Team Monitor”). The Department of Athletics also reserves the right to have other staff members review and/or monitor student-athletes’ social networking sites and postings,” the policy reads.

Del. Shawn Z. Tarrant, who is sponsoring the bill along with Del. Nathaniel T. “Nat” Oaks, said he wants to prevent public universities in Maryland from imposing the same requirements.  

Tarrant said that he believes that requiring student athletes to provide access to their social networking accounts is a violation of their civil rights. The bill is expected to be introduced this week.

Follow North Baltimore Patch on Facebook and Twitter.