Parents
Helping Your Child Manage Their Digital Footprint to Prevent Online Harms
Keeping your child safe online
Navigating online risks
Children today grow up with an online presence from a young age. Photos, comments and everyday interactions can form a digital footprint that follows them over time. Guiding your child to manage their digital footprint can reduce the risk of online harms such as stalking, doxxing and impersonation, and support safer online use.
What is a digital footprint?
A digital footprint is the trail of information a person leaves behind through online activities. This includes information others share about them.
Examples of what builds a digital footprint include:
Text messages
Photos or videos posted on social media
Comments, reactions, or messages online
Content where your child is tagged by others
Usernames used across platforms
Search and browsing history, even in "Incognito" mode
Why is it important to manage your child’s digital footprint?
Once something is shared online, it can be copied, altered, or saved by others. It may still exist through screenshots, reposts, or archived copies even after it is deleted.
Your child’s digital footprint can shape how others see and treat them in real life, which may affect their reputation, self-worth and wellbeing. It may also affect future opportunities, such as school admissions, scholarships and employment. Over time, it may reveal more about their life than intended, increasing their exposure to online harms.
For example:
Online stalking may occur when someone repeatedly makes or tries to make unwanted contact with your child
Doxxing may occur when someone shares your child’s identity information online
Impersonation may occur when someone pretends to be your child using their photos or details
Managing your child’s digital footprint does not remove all risks, but it can limit how much information others can find or use.
How can you help your child manage their digital footprint?
Set clear boundaries for what and how to share online
Guide your child on what is safe to share and what should stay private
Remind them to avoid sharing personal data (e.g. their full name, school, location, daily routines, contact details)
Explain that photos and videos can reveal more than intended, such as their appearance, location, school, hobbies or people they know, especially through backgrounds, uniforms and other visible details
Help them understand that even small details can be combined to reveal more about them than expected
Remind them to T.H.I.N.K before posting by considering if the content they want to share is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind so they protect themselves and others
Encourage them to consider how their posts may affect their reputations or relationships
Review your child’s online presence together and update their privacy settings
Look up your child’s name, usernames, or photos to see what is publicly visible
Delete or update content that reveals too much personal data
Go through your child’s privacy settings on social media, apps, and devices together
Set their accounts to private where appropriate
Discuss and agree with your child who it is safe to share information with
Manage who can view your child’s posts, contact or tag them
Be mindful of what you share about your child
Avoid posting content that may expose your child’s personal data, such as birthday posts that reveal their appearance, date of birth or relationship to family members
Consider their privacy, safety and future preferences before posting
Involve them in decisions about what is shared about them online
Guiding your child to manage their digital footprint is an ongoing process. By encouraging thoughtful choices, setting clear boundaries, and keeping communications open, you can help them build healthier digital habits. Over time, these small actions can make a big difference in protecting them from online harms and supporting their well-being in the digital space.