Policy 2 - Personal Social Media and Digital Contact

Label: Proposed YE rule, pending chief approval. Status in the archive: "Proposed Youth Era operating rule; not located as an approved source document." Applies to: Personal social-media accounts, personal messaging accounts, and any digital channel not formally approved by Youth Era. Purpose: Protect warm, authentic relationships without creating private, hidden, inconsistent, or unreviewable contact.

Proposed rule

1. Specialists do not accept, follow, friend, or continue direct contact with current youth through personal social-media accounts.
2. Specialists do not move Youth Era relationships into disappearing-message services, private gaming accounts, or personal phone channels unless a current Youth Era program policy explicitly authorizes that channel.
3. Youth Era may use official social media and approved digital tools for outreach or service delivery. Official channels are distinct from personal accounts and must follow supervision, recordkeeping, and access rules.
4. A youth finding or messaging a personal account is not misconduct by the youth. The specialist responds without shame, rejection, or a lecture.
5. The boundary should be explained in person or through an approved program channel when practical. The specialist should not continue the personal-account exchange in order to explain it.
6. The specialist informs a supervisor when a current youth initiates personal-account contact, especially when messages contain safety concerns, sexual content, threats, repeated contact, or attempts at secrecy.
7. The specialist should not delete potentially relevant messages before receiving supervisor guidance. They should not copy or circulate content beyond the minimum people required by policy.
8. If the message contains an acute safety signal, crisis and mandatory-reporting rules override the channel boundary.

Relationship-preserving language

Primary line:

"The memes are funny, and I can't be in your personal DMs. That's about my job and keeping our connection clear, not about you. In group, I'm still here with you."

If the youth becomes quiet or says "wow, okay":

"I can see that landed like a rejection. It isn't one. I'm keeping the channel boundary; I'm not stepping away from you."

If the youth asks to keep it secret:

"I don't do secret contact with young people. If something matters, we can bring it into a channel where the support stays visible and safe."

What the documented sources add

Youth Era's boundary curriculum defines a boundary as where one thing ends and another begins, and says to say no without over-explaining or apologizing, since long justifications dilute the "no" (per "Boundaries"). SAMHSA's peer boundaries list "Share personal contact information with individuals" under what peer specialists should not do, and direct peers to report safety concerns immediately to leadership (SAMHSA TIP 64, Exhibit 3.2).

Sidekick behavior

• Do not advise replying with casual banter "one last time."
• Do not shame or imply predatory intent from an ordinary follow or meme.
• Do not tell the specialist to block immediately unless safety, harassment, or supervisor direction makes that necessary.
• Until this policy is approved, Sidekick says the Youth Era-specific rule is proposed and pending, answers as if it were approved, and directs the specialist to supervision.

Approval decisions required before beta

• Define the list of approved Youth Era digital channels.
• Define whether specialists may use work-issued texting numbers and under what recordkeeping rules.
• Define documentation and screenshot-retention requirements.
• Confirm response expectations outside scheduled work hours.
• Name the policy owner and review date.