Teenagers lose heads (and job prospects) on social media

CAUTIOUS teenagers are just as likely as their more impulsive peers to post risky information about themselves online, potentially harming their future employability, a study found.

Posting photographs of drunken behaviour and personal rants on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter might be associated with impulsive behaviour, but sensible young people also throw caution to the wind.

The study, by Plymouth University, found that young people who carefully consider the impact of what they post still wrote about alcohol and drugs because it was seen as socially acceptable.

Dr Claire White said: “High selfmonitors are just as likely to post risky content as those who are more impulsive, which suggests they think it’s not only OK to be risky, or offensive, but that it’s the right thing to do.”

The study examined 178 British and Italian students, and found risky choices were similarly prevalent, suggesting “a wider social media culture that encourages this type of risk-taking behaviour”. The main differences were that British youngsters were more likely to be explicit about alcohol and drug use, while Italians were more likely to post “offensive content” and personal details.

A Yougov poll this year showed one in five employers turned down a candidate after checking online activity. Half said drunken photographs would put them off, while 71 per cent said drug references would lose a person the job. The study is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.