Social media: how to deal with negative comments or behaviour by parents and carers

Learn how to help prevent inappropriate social media use by parents/carers, and how to respond when it does happen. Download our internet acceptable use agreement and template letters to address incidents and make your expectations clear.

Last reviewed on 29 January 2026
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 6226
Contents
  1. Download our internet acceptable use agreement for parents and carers
  2. Use a parent code of conduct to set expectations
  3. Support parents/carers to understand how to raise a concern or complaint appropriately
  4. Always aim to resolve a situation face-to-face
  5. Download our template letters and use KeyGPT to respond to incidents
  6. Steps you can take if online behaviour is abusive or aggressive
  7. Taking legal action

Follow the steps below to set expectations for parents/carers' social media use in relation to communication about your school, and make it clear how your school will respond to any incidents if they happen.

If an incident has already happened, start from the section ‘Support parents/carers to understand how to raise a concern or complaint appropriately' onwards.

Download our internet acceptable use agreement for parents and carers

Our model agreement sets clear guidelines and expectations on how parents/carers should use social media or other internet forums when they communicate with or about your school.

It covers parents/carers' use of:

  • Private groups or channels, such as WhatsApp groups or class pages on Facebook
  • Personal social media accounts
  • The school Facebook page
KeyDoc: model internet acceptable use agreement for parents/carers DOCX, 127.5 KB
Download

You can't make parents/carers