When you place a loved one in a nursing home, you trust that their caregivers will respect their privacy and dignity. A national investigation into social media abuse in nursing homes has uncovered widespread violations of this trust by nursing home staff.
The report, released in October 2025, documents dozens of instances in which employees photographed or recorded residents without consent and shared the images online. It highlights incidents of nursing home staff sharing unauthorized photos depicting residents naked in compromised positions, covered in feces, or in vulnerable situations, paired with demeaning captions.
At Lanzone Morgan, LLP, we take these violations very seriously and believe that sharing these findings can play a critical role in stopping this type of abuse in nursing homes across California.
Key Findings on Social Media Abuse in Long-Term Care Facilities
Investigators examined 100 state investigation reports involving 100 nursing homes across 30 states, each completed between March 2017 and April 2025. The Colorado State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program funded the project, which analyzed data from ProPublica’s Nursing Home Inspect website. It revealed key insights into the nature of these incidents, including the common characteristics of perpetrators and the harm inflicted on victims.
Victims
The report identified 147 victims of social media abuse. Of those, 53% were women, and 47% were men. Most of the victims—88%—had some level of cognitive impairment. Nearly half had moderate to severe cognitive impairment, such as advanced dementia.
Many victims also had significant physical limitations. The report found that affected residents often required extensive assistance with Activities of Daily Living, such as changing incontinence garments, using the toilet, or bathing.
Perpetrators
Investigators documented 154 perpetrators, including 132 primary perpetrators. There were 22 secondary perpetrators, including employees who knew about the unauthorized images but failed to report them or shared the content with others without taking corrective action.
Most primary perpetrators held direct care roles. Approximately 73% were Nursing Assistants or Certified Nursing Assistants. The remaining individuals held a range of positions, including nurses, housekeeping staff, dietary and nutrition employees, and activity directors.
Stated Reasons for the Abuse
Perpetrators provided reasons for capturing or sharing unauthorized images of residents in 25% of the investigations. While most reports did not include explanations, the stated reasons fell into several recurring categories:
- Attempts to release job-related frustrations, including stress from short staffing or demanding care tasks
- Joking behavior
- Claims of no intent to harm
- Claims that they were trying to help, such as attempting to pass information to leadership or communicate the resident’s needs
- Lack of awareness of the facility’s policies, often based on seeing other employees post similar content
- Accidental posting by children who had access to their phones
- Not realizing they were recording
The report found that these explanations frequently conflicted with the severity of the perpetrators’ actions. In many cases, there was clear evidence that the perpetrator violated the resident’s privacy with the intent to humiliate them.
Social Media Platforms Involved
Reports that have listed the platform involved in the abuse most commonly identify Snapchat, followed by Facebook. Investigators also documented cases involving unauthorized photos and videos shared on TikTok, Instagram, group message chats, FaceTime, and online forums.
Case Examples From California Nursing Home Facilities
The following accounts come from investigation reports involving social media abuse in California nursing homes. Each example highlights a concerning link between social media and elder abuse.
Case 11 - Twin Oaks Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Tulare, California
Staff members reportedly recorded and shared a humiliating video on Snapchat showing two employees laughing while gluing fake eyelashes onto a sleeping resident inside the resident’s bedroom. The video was posted to a staff group chat, where several employees saw it but failed to report it. The conduct violated the resident’s right to treatment with respect and dignity, and it reflected failures in oversight and timely reporting.
Case 33 - Valley House Rehabilitation Center in Santa Clara, California
An admissions coordinator allegedly posted a photo on social media of a male resident with dementia, accompanied by vulgar sexual captions referencing the resident by name. The incident was a direct violation of the facility’s policy against videotaping or photographing residents and releasing them digitally.
Other staff who viewed the post described it as humiliating and disturbing, but were uncertain how to respond, according to the report. As a result, the post remained unreported to administrators for nearly two weeks.
Once the facility’s administrator learned of the alleged abuse, he did not suspend the employee, investigate the incident, or report his findings to any state authorities. Another administrator eventually terminated the admissions coordinator’s employment approximately four months after the other administrator learned of the allegation.
Case 80 - Tulare Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Tulare, California
A CNA student working at the facility allegedly photographed a female resident with severe cognitive impairment while she slept in her bed, with her arms and legs hanging off the mattress. The student reportedly captioned the image “Me when I sleep” and posted it on social media without the resident’s consent. A CNA student instructor later notified the nursing home of the violation, which involved noncompliance with privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
Case 93 - Woodland Care Center in Reseda, California
During a work shift, a CNA allegedly recorded a 33-minute video inside the nursing home, including a victim’s bedroom. The footage reportedly showed a resident in bed and captured the employee making repeated statements about pinching another resident’s private area. The resident who was the subject of the demeaning comments had a severe cognitive impairment.
The CNA reportedly posted the video live on social media as she captured it. The recording violated the facility’s policies prohibiting the use of personal electronic devices to photograph or record residents. The video’s content also conflicted with the nursing home’s abuse prohibition policy.
Consequences of Nursing Home Social Media Abuse
The investigation revealed measurable harm to victims and their families after suffering social media abuse in a nursing home. Victims who were aware of the incidents reported feelings of disrespect, embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, sadness, fear, depression, anger, broken trust, and a sense of being violated.
Some family members reported that their loved ones thought about the incident daily. Many loved ones reported similar effects on their own mental well-being, including feelings of disbelief and rage.
Unauthorized recording or sharing of resident images constitutes a form of abuse, even when the harm is unclear. Because nearly half of the victims lived with moderate to severe dementia, they may not have been able to articulate the harm they experienced. In those cases, the law applies a reasonable person standard, which assesses whether a reasonable person in the resident’s position would have felt humiliated or violated by the conduct.
Protecting Your Loved One From Social Media Abuse in Nursing Homes
If your loved one receives care in a nursing home, you can play a powerful role in recognizing and stopping abuse or neglect. Unexplained behavioral changes, withdrawal, fear of certain staff members, or sudden physical deterioration may signal that something is wrong. Always trust your instincts when you notice signs of harm.
Paying close attention to nursing home staff’s public social media activity can also reveal potential mistreatment. In several cases documented in this investigation, inappropriate posts from employees revealed underlying neglect or abuse that might otherwise have remained hidden.
Nursing home residents have the right to privacy, dignity, and freedom from abuse. Staff may not photograph or record residents without their consent or share degrading images. If you notice social media posts that violate these protections or suspect any other type of nursing home abuse in California, contact the California Department of Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISIS Line at 800-231-4024.
Once you’ve reported your concerns to the authorities, reach out to Lanzone Morgan, LLP, for a free consultation. We can help you take action to protect your loved one and prevent others from suffering similar harm in the facility.
Contact us online or call 888-887-9777 for trusted help from our leading California nursing home abuse lawyers.
The following content has been legally reviewed and approved by nursing home abuse attorney Anthony Lanzone. Anthony holds notable memberships with professional organizations including the American Association for Justice and Consumer Attorneys of California.