TPC-Digest-Vol-3-Iss-2-FINAL31

TPC D igest T he use of Facebook is an integral part of the lives of the millennial generation, those born after 1982 (Hazlett, 2011). Existing research indicates that individuals from the millennial generation may be at greater risk for inadvertently sharing private information. Facebook thus presents significant risks for students in graduate counseling programs for crossing boundaries with clients, supervisors and faculty members. The purpose of this article is to first review the literature on the millennial generation’s use of Facebook and how privacy settings are established by this group. Second, the authors conducted two surveys of their own students’ Facebook use to evaluate whether millennial students in their own program were at greater risk as stated by the literature, and if talking about the risks would increase the privacy settings all students used. In the first administration (n = 56), 93% reported using Facebook, and a little less than half utilized maximum privacy settings. In contrast to the existing research, students from the millennial generation did not demonstrate a decreased use of privacy settings. However, about half of the students also indicated they had posted photos and videos they would not want clients to see. In the second survey (n = 63), about the same percentage reported themselves as Facebook users compared to the first study; however, more students were using maximum privacy settings. The second administration occurred after students were exposed to the potential risks associated with Facebook use in an ethics class. Two points were deduced from these results: (a) a significant number of this program’s students were risking unwanted exposure of their private Millennial Counselors and the Ethical Use of Facebook– DIGEST Leah Brew, NCC, is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). Joseph M. Cervantes is a Professor and David Shepard is an Associate Professor, both in the Department of Counseling at CSUF. Correspondence can be addressed to Leah Brew, Department of Counseling, P.O. Box 6868, Fullerton, CA 92834-6868, lbrew@fullerton.edu. 20