First Amendment Fundamentals When Using Social Media

In a digital world where government social media pages have become a public forum, agencies are struggling to balance free speech with content moderation. This guide demystifies the First Amendment for public sector social media, providing essential insights and best practices to help government officials and staff navigate the legal landscape and avoid costly civil rights violations.

In this content, you will learn:

• The core principles of the First Amendment and how landmark Supreme Court rulings like Lindke v. Freed define government speech on social media.
• What types of content—including hate speech, profanity, and misinformation—are protected by the First Amendment versus what can be lawfully moderated.
• Best practices for developing a First-Amendment-compliant social media policy, with tips on documenting moderation actions and training staff consistently.
• How a Social Media Archiving solution helps agencies maintain compliance with public records laws and manage records from social media accounts in real time.