F.6 Public statements and social media

What the outline says

Task F.6 in content area F, Ethics (11 of the 75 scored questions): "Identify and comply with requirements for making public statements about professional activities (e.g., social media activity; misrepresentation of professional credentials, behavior analysis, and service outcomes)."

What counts as a public statement

A public statement is any communication about your professional activities that reaches people outside the client's treatment team. That includes social media posts, comments and messages, professional networking profiles, résumés and job applications, agency newsletters and websites, flyers, online reviews and replies, interviews with reporters, and what you say about your work at community events or family gatherings.

The RBT Ethics Code applies to all of your behavior-technician activities in every setting and every modality, including phone, email, text and video. It does not cover purely personal behavior unless that behavior clearly poses a risk to the health and safety of clients, stakeholders or coworkers. A post about your weekend hike is personal. A post about a client, your credential or your services is professional, even on a personal account and even after work hours.

Representing your credentials accurately

Standard 1.05 says RBTs do not knowingly make false, misleading or exaggerated statements about their qualifications or their behavior-technician services. It also says RBTs give employers and supervisors a current and accurate set of their relevant credentials when asked.

In practice, that means:

• Use the title you hold: Registered Behavior Technician, or RBT. Do not call yourself a behavior analyst, a BCBA or BCaBA, or "licensed" unless you actually hold that credential.
• List unfinished degrees as in progress, with an expected date. Do not list a completion year or a credential you have not earned.
• Describe your role accurately. An RBT implements plans written by the supervisor and assists with assessments. An RBT does not diagnose, design treatment plans or supervise other RBTs.
• If someone else misstates your credential, for example on an agency web page, ask your supervisor or the agency to correct it.

Only people who hold RBT certification may present themselves as RBTs. A person who has finished the 40-hour training but has not passed the exam is not an RBT yet. If your certification is inactive for any reason, such as no supervisor on record, voluntary inactive status or the reinstatement period, you may not practice, bill, or represent yourself as an active RBT. The BACB may take legal and other action when its certification marks are misrepresented, and standard 3.05 says RBTs do not misuse BACB intellectual property such as certification titles.

Representing behavior analysis and outcomes accurately

Families, friends and the public often ask RBTs what ABA can do. Your answer is a public statement about the field. Accurate statements describe behavior analysis as individualized and data-based: the supervising BCBA sets goals, behavior is measured, and the plan is adjusted based on the data. Results differ from person to person.

Statements that misrepresent the field or its outcomes include promising a cure, guaranteeing that every client will meet their goals, describing ABA as a reward chart anyone can run, describing it as mainly punishment, or claiming that a product or supplement improved your clients' behavior. Understating the field, for example saying it has no research support, is also inaccurate. When a question needs a clinical answer, refer the person to a BCBA.

Social media and client confidentiality

Standard 2.09 is short and absolute: RBTs do not share identifying information about clients, such as photos, videos or written information, on social media or websites. There is no exception for a caregiver's permission. If a parent says "go ahead and post it," the answer is still no.

Identifying information is broader than a name. A face, a voice, a first name on a piece of artwork in the background, or a combination of details such as age, diagnosis, school and neighborhood can identify a client to people who know them. Leaving out the name, posting to a private group, using initials, or deleting the post later does not make it acceptable.

Standard 2.10 adds that RBTs discuss confidential client information only under their supervisor's direction, unless the law allows it for a valid reason such as protecting someone from harm. Even confirming that a family receives services is confidential. This shapes several common situations:

• Asking for advice in an online group: take clinical questions to your supervisor instead.
• A negative online review that names you: do not reply with any client information; tell your supervisor, who decides how the agency responds.
• A reporter asks about a client: decline and refer them to your supervisor or agency.
• A coworker posts a photo that shows a client: bring it to your supervisor so it can be handled, rather than ignoring it or calling it out in a public comment.
• Friend requests from caregivers: declining keeps the relationship professional (see F.7).

General professional content with no client information, such as a tip about pairing yourself with reinforcers or a post about a training you attended, is fine.

Exam content and other people's materials

Before taking the RBT exam, every candidate agrees that they are permanently prohibited from disclosing exam question content, including by email, social media or online study sites. Rewording questions from memory or sharing them privately is still disclosure. Standard 3.03 also bars helping others cheat and the unauthorized distribution of exam materials. You can tell a friend what helped you study, such as the Test Content Outline, but not what was on the test.

Standard 3.05 also covers other people's intellectual property, such as an employer's proprietary training slides and data sheets. Do not post them publicly without the owner's permission, even if you remove client names.

When something goes wrong

If you realize you made an inaccurate statement, correct it promptly and tell your supervisor. If you see someone else misrepresent credentials or share client information, the ethics code's general process applies: bring it to your supervisor first, document what you did, and escalate to other authorities or the BACB only if it is not resolved.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a caregiver's permission makes it acceptable to post a client photo or video. The code makes no exception; do not post identifying client information at all.
• Assuming that removing the name is enough. Faces, voices, artwork in the background and combinations of details can all identify a client.
• Continuing to use the RBT title while inactive. With no supervisor on record, or during voluntary inactive status, you may not represent yourself as an active RBT.
• Treating a personal account as outside the code. Posts about clients, services or your credential are covered wherever they appear.
• Replying publicly to a review or a reporter. Send these to your supervisor or agency and share no client information.

How it's tested

Expect scenarios where an RBT is tempted to post, reply, advertise or describe themselves. Identify the option that keeps client information off social media without exceptions, describes the RBT credential and role accurately, avoids promising outcomes, and routes problems to the supervisor. Watch for distractors that sound reasonable because they add a safeguard, such as removing the name, getting the parent's OK, using a private group or adding a disclaimer; these do not fix the underlying violation.

Related ethics code standards

• 1.05 Accurate claims about qualifications and services: RBTs never knowingly make false, misleading or exaggerated statements about their qualifications or the services they provide. When an employer or supervisor asks, they hand over current, accurate credentials.
• 2.09 Client information on social media and websites: RBTs don't share identifying information about clients, such as photos, videos or written details, on social media or websites. This applies to personal and professional accounts, public and private groups, and posts where the client's face is hidden but other details could identify them.
• 3.05 Intellectual property: RBTs don't misuse the intellectual property of the BACB, such as its certification titles and exam content, or of others, such as an employer's proprietary materials. In practice, they use the RBT title only as their certification status allows, keep exam content confidential, and don't copy or share materials that belong to someone else without permission.