Book excerpt: Should you respond to friend requests from service users? How can you be sure that your own online profile is secure? Do service users understand the global and permanent nature of social media posts? Mapped against UK regulatory bodies’ standards this book responds to new complex issues raised by social media. Joanne Westwood draws on evidence and contemporary examples from practice to contextualise developments in social media and outline how this has shaped social work practice in recent years. She unpicks the potential pitfalls and opportunities social media presents for individual practice, organisations and service users. After using the case study questions, quizzes and reflective activities you will be able to confidently apply your knowledge of the 4 key issues: · privacy · confidentiality · regulation · professional ethics and values