How recruiters interpret athletes’ social media

What We Hand Our Children

Phones, Social Media and the Decisions That Follow Them 

Cell phones land in the hands of children before they understand the magnitude of the technology at their fingertips. Well-meaning and perhaps reluctant parents provide these devices to stay connected to their children. When my daughter was in elementary school, I handed her a flip phone, and she was proud of her new device. That was until she opened it at school and got phone-shamed for her low-tech model. I became concerned when she could never find the phone in her backpack. As it turned out, she was leaving it at home. Eventually, I replaced that phone with more advanced technology that enabled texting and tracking.

Growing Up in Two Different Neighborhoods

Some neighborhoods aren’t like they were when I grew up. Our schools were a short walk or bus ride away in my Los Angeles neighborhood. Students walked or rode the bus to school together. In my Nashville neighborhood, the schools are far apart. Standing at a bus stop when there’s ice on the ground was not an option. These mobility issues became more difficult with her involvement in after-school programs. Staying connected was a challenge, but the bigger issue came with the high-tech phone and the constant scrolling. We had battles over her phone usage, which were intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. My daughter’s teacher called to inform me of missing schoolwork. Though I could hear the teacher during virtual school, my daughter wasn’t listening. She was scrolling on her phone. She made it through the school year and shared her experience in a talk on the TEDxYouth stage.

A Wake Up Call About Social Media

Though I understood our personal struggles with the phone, I was surprised to learn about the broader issue of youth and social media use. A New York Times article by Dan Levin reported that colleges were rescinding admissions of some students because of their social media posts. As someone whose career in marketing communications spans decades, I wondered what could be done to teach students how to use social media wisely while also educating them about the long-term impact a negative post could have, especially for athletes.

A New Era for Student Athletes

In 2020, the name, image, and likeness debate was in the news, and the NCAA adopted the NIL policy six months later, in July 2021. Student-athletes would be at great risk if they did not learn that social media could be used as a powerful communication tool. I thought about the many young student-athletes in my family who use social media. I didn’t want to just teach my daughter the importance of time management associated with social media use. I wanted to help the athletes in my family and the community. I decided to pursue a doctoral degree and a career teaching communication.

From Personal Experience to Research

Recognizing the growing influence of social media in the lives of young people, especially student athletes, led me to pursue deeper academic study. As college athletics entered a new era shaped by the NCAA name, image, and likeness policy, social media became more than a place for casual interaction. It became a public communication space where identity, reputation, and opportunity intersect. At the same time, national debate about the impact of social media on young users has intensified. A recent trial involving Meta Platforms is examining whether major platforms contributed to harmful or addictive patterns of use among teenagers and young adults, highlighting the growing scrutiny of how youth engage online. These developments reinforced my desire to study how digital communication shapes real world opportunities. I began my doctoral studies in Fall 2026 to explore how collegiate athletic recruiters interpret the social media communication and behavior of high school student athletes and how those interpretations may influence recruitment decisions. By examining this emerging dynamic, my research seeks to help educators, families, and student athletes better understand the power and responsibility that accompany digital visibility.

Continuing the Inquiry

The intersection of social media, identity and opportunity continues to evolve. As platforms shape how young people present themselves publicly, the digital traces they leave behind are increasingly interpreted by institutions that hold real decision-making power. Understanding how recruiters interpret these signals is not only relevant for athletics, but also for the broader conversation about digital citizenship and youth development. My hope is that this work encourages more intentional conversations among families, educators and student-athletes about how online communication can influence opportunities long before a young athlete ever steps onto a college campus.