Student Social Media Privacy
RI Student Social Media Privacy Act
Students · Children
Bars schools and colleges from requiring or asking students and applicants for personal social media passwords, making them log in in front of school staff, forcing them to add coaches or teachers as contacts or change privacy settings, and from disciplining or refusing admission to those who refuse.
- Where
- Rhode Island
- Citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 16-103-1 to 16-103-6
- Status
- In force
- Enforced by
- Courts via student or applicant civil actions
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- A prevailing student or applicant may obtain declaratory relief, damages, reasonable attorney's fees and costs, and injunctive relief (§ 16-103-6).
- Applies to
- Public and private educational institutions in Rhode Island (academic, technical, trade and vocational), and their agents
- Protects students and applicants for admission; excludes school-provided accounts and publicly available information
Practices it requires
- Do not require, coerce or request a student or prospective student to disclose personal social media passwords or access the account in the presence of school staff, or to divulge personal social media account information.R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-103-2
- Do not compel students or applicants, as a condition of admission or activities, to add school employees or volunteers as contacts or change account visibility settings.R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-103-3
- Do not discipline, penalize or refuse admission to a student or applicant for refusing these requests.R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-103-4
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Effective date of P.L. 2014, chs. 188 and 207 not confirmed.
Research reference, not legal advice.