Teachers turn classrooms into social media stages, sometimes exposing students without consent

A Korean elementary school teacher’s dance videos have helped drive the growth of “Ssaemstagram,” but teachers’ social media use is raising concerns about personal branding, work-hour filming and student privacy. Ministry of Education data showed approvals for teachers’ personal-media activities increased from 891 in 2021 to 1,374 last year. From 2022 through 2025, eight teachers were disciplined for improper personal-media activities, while some received warnings for exposing students’ faces or personal information without consent.

An Instagram Reel featuring teachers dancing to a K-pop song in a school hallway attracted more than 9 million views, while one Korean elementary school teacher had nearly 100,000 YouTube subscribers.

Approvals for teachers’ outside activities involving personal media reached 1,007 in 2022, 1,114 in 2023 and 1,523 in 2024 before falling to 1,374 last year.

The Ministry of Education received 22 complaints related to teachers’ social media use from 2022 through 2025, excluding cases transferred to local education offices.

Six of the eight teachers disciplined from 2022 through 2025 violated restrictions on profit-making or outside employment, including social media advertising and sponsored product promotions.

Under the State Public Officials Act, teachers’ revenue-generating or profit-making social media activities require approval for concurrent employment.

Published Oct 9, 2026 12:50 am KST

A Korean elementary school teacher known for dancing has amassed nearly 100,000 YouTube subscribers. An Instagram Reel showing the teacher dancing to a K-pop song with fellow teachers in a school hallway has drawn more than 9 million views.

Social media is already awash with videos of skilled dancers, but the teacher has carved out a distinctive niche as a "teacher who dances in the classroom," gaining popularity comparable to that of some K-pop idols.

So-called "Ssaemstagram" content — a Korean coinage combining "teacher" and "Instagram" — is expanding beyond school life to encompass nearly every aspect of teachers' daily routines.

What began largely as a way to share teaching ideas has broadened to include school lunch menus and teachers' lounge chatter, as well as OOTD, or "outfit of the day," posts showcasing fashion and makeup and videos of after-work exercise routines.

While such content can help teachers communicate with students, concerns are growing as posts increasingly focus on personal branding, including appearance and lifestyle, rather than professional expertise. Critics say schools are effectively becoming filming locations for teachers' personal social media channels.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education to Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the Rebuilding Korea Party, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, the number of approvals granted to teachers for outside activities involving personal media rose 54.2 percent over four years, from 891 in 2021 to 1,374 last year.

The figure surpassed 1,000 for the first time in 2022, reaching 1,007, before rising to 1,114 in 2023 and 1,523 in 2024. It then fell to 1,374 last year.

Under the State Public Officials Act, both for-profit and nonprofit activities outside a public official's government duties are subject to approval for concurrent employment. Teachers' social media activities also fall under the requirement when they generate revenue or are conducted for profit.

Complaints have followed the rise in teachers' social media activity. Excluding cases transferred to local education offices, the education ministry received 22 complaints related to teachers' social media use from 2022 through 2025.

One of the most common issues involves teachers filming or producing content during working hours. Some "Ssaemstagram" videos are filmed with a camera pointed at a teacher standing in front of the blackboard during class and are later edited and uploaded to social media.

Such filming is, in principle, a violation of the rules. Even when editing and uploading take place after work, the footage for a teacher's personal social media account was still recorded during working hours.

Some teachers have also faced disciplinary action for using their social media influence to advertise products or accept sponsorships.

Eight teachers were disciplined for improper personal media activities from 2022 through 2025. Six of the cases involved violations of restrictions on profit-making and outside employment, including posting social media advertisements, and resulted in penalties such as reprimands or pay cuts.

Cases included teachers receiving sponsored cosmetics and posting reviews on social media, as well as accepting advertising fees to promote restaurants through Instagram Reels.

There were also cases in which teachers received warnings after exposing students' faces or personal information without consent.

Despite such cases, authorities face limitations in enforcing the rules because social media accounts are considered part of the private sphere. In particular, critics say it is difficult to identify every teacher engaged in social media activities without obtaining the required approval.

"Communicating with students and parents and sharing educational information through YouTube or social media is positive," Kang said. "But as personal media activities become more widespread, the Ministry of Education needs to check whether the current guidelines are being properly followed in schools and strengthen oversight to prevent filming during working hours or violations of students' portrait rights."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

一位韩国小学教师的舞蹈视频推动了“Ssaemstagram”的兴起，但教师使用社交媒体也引发了人们对个人品牌塑造、工作时间拍摄以及学生隐私的担忧。韩国教育部数据显示，教师个人媒体活动的批准数量从2021年的891份增加到去年的1374份。2022年至2025年间，共有8名教师因不当的个人媒体活动受到处分，另有一些教师因未经同意公开学生的面部或个人信息而受到警告。

一段教师在学校走廊里随着 K-pop 歌曲跳舞的 Instagram Reels 视频吸引了超过 900 万次观看，而一位韩国小学教师在 YouTube 上拥有近 10 万订阅者。

2022 年，教师涉及个人媒体的课外活动获得批准的数量达到 1,007 件；2023 年达到 1,114 件；2024 年达到 1,523 件；去年下降到 1,374 件。

从 2022 年到 2025 年，教育部共收到 22 起与教师使用社交媒体有关的投诉，不包括移交地方教育部门的案件。

2022 年至 2025 年间受到处分的八名教师中有六名违反了有关营利或校外就业的限制，包括社交媒体广告和赞助产品推广。

根据州公职人员法，教师从事创收或盈利的社交媒体活动需要获得兼职批准。

发布于2026年10月9日凌晨12:50（韩国标准时间）

一位以跳舞闻名的韩国小学老师在YouTube上积累了近10万订阅者。一段她在学校走廊与同事们一起跳K-pop歌曲的Instagram Reels视频，观看次数已超过900万。

社交媒体上已经充斥着舞技精湛的舞者的视频，但这位老师却开辟了一个独特的领域，成为“在课堂上跳舞的老师”，获得了堪比一些韩国流行偶像的人气。

所谓的“Ssaemstagram”内容——一个由“老师”和“Instagram”组合而成的韩语词汇——正在从校园生活扩展到几乎涵盖教师日常生活的方方面面。

最初主要是为了分享教学理念，后来扩展到包括学校午餐菜单、教师休息室闲聊、以及 OOTD（每日穿搭）帖子（展示时尚和化妆）和下班后锻炼视频。

虽然这类内容有助于教师与学生沟通，但随着帖子越来越侧重于个人品牌塑造（包括外貌和生活方式），而非专业技能，人们的担忧也日益加剧。批评人士指出，学校实际上正在成为教师个人社交媒体账号的拍摄场地。

根据教育部提交给重建韩国党议员、国会教育委员会成员姜京淑的数据，教师利用个人媒体进行课外活动的批准数量在四年内增长了54.2%，从2021年的891份增加到去年的1374份。

该数字在 2022 年首次超过 1000，达到 1007，然后在 2023 年上升到 1114，2024 年上升到 1523。去年则下降到 1374。

根据《州公职人员法》，公职人员在履行政府职责之外从事的营利性和非营利性活动均需获得批准方可兼任其他职务。教师的社交媒体活动，如果产生收入或以营利为目的，也属于该法的适用范围。

随着教师社交媒体活动的增加，投诉也随之而来。除移交地方教育部门的案件外，教育部在2022年至2025年期间共收到22起与教师使用社交媒体相关的投诉。

最常见的问题之一是教师在工作时间拍摄或制作内容。一些“Ssaemstagram”视频是用摄像机对着站在黑板前的老师拍摄的，拍摄时间是在课堂上，之后再进行剪辑并上传到社交媒体。

原则上，这种拍摄行为违反了规定。即使剪辑和上传是在下班后进行的，但教师用于个人社交媒体账户的视频仍然是在工作时间内拍摄的。

一些教师也因利用社交媒体影响力宣传产品或接受赞助而面临纪律处分。

2022 年至 2025 年间，有 8 名教师因不当的个人媒体活动受到处分。其中 6 起案件涉及违反营利和兼职限制规定，包括发布社交媒体广告，并受到训诫或减薪等处罚。

案例包括教师收受赞助化妆品并在社交媒体上发布评论，以及接受广告费通过 Instagram Reels 为餐厅做宣传。

也曾有教师未经同意暴露学生面部或个人信息后受到警告的案例。

尽管存在此类案例，但由于社交媒体账户被视为私人领域的一部分，当局在执行相关规定方面仍面临诸多限制。批评人士尤其指出，很难识别出所有未经授权参与社交媒体活动的教师。

康表示：“通过YouTube或社交媒体与学生和家长沟通并分享教育信息是积极的。但随着个人媒体活动日益普遍，教育部需要检查学校是否正确遵守现行准则，并加强监管，防止在工作时间拍摄或侵犯学生肖像权等行为。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。