Why Should Parents Keep an Eye on Their Child’s Digital Footprint?

Digital Footprint refers to a person’s unique set of digital actions, communication, and activities that leave behind a trace on the computer and the Internet. Every time our kids go online, they leave behind a trail, also known as a digital footprint, just like they leave behind cookie crumbs after finishing a cookie.

However, the difference is that this trail cannot be erased, unlike cookie crumbs, which can be dusted away. This trail can end up helping them or sometimes hurting them later in life. Parental Control apps like TiSPY can help parents to keep track of the digital footprint of their children and protect them.

Our kids today are growing up in the age of instant data, where pictures are clicked and uploaded on various social media platforms within seconds. Things they post on social media, type in a chat service, or write when browsing the web come together to create their online portrait, and this can have repercussions later in different areas of your child’s life.

Something they posted on their social media years ago can result in missed job opportunities, ruined relationships, and even public sharing of their personal information.

1. Why is having a Good Digital Footprint Important?

Your child’s online behavior today goes way beyond their latest Facebook post or blog comment. Our kids are growing up during technology, but they are not aware of the fact that one poor decision made online can damage their digital footprint, and this would follow them into adulthood as well. Therefore, it is necessary to educate them regarding good digital citizenship and ways to maintain their social media etiquette.

There have been cases where teens have had their college admission offers rescinded due to their conduct in a Facebook group or on other social media. These students, who had spent their entire lives preparing to get into Ivy League schools, had to face dire consequences due to their online behavior.

The crucial thing to recognize is that nothing on the Internet is genuinely ‘private.’ This may seem like something obvious, but kids of all ages are making such errors that can affect their future significantly.

These days, most of the companies also check a candidate’s digital footprint before offering them jobs. Inappropriate conduct on social media or any online website can negatively impact their chances of getting a job as well.

2. How to Improve Your Digital Footprint?

You can improve the digital footprint of your children by following some simple tips. Making smart choices online will help them succeed in college and their career as well.

a) Be Smart While Web Browsing

websites that make you feel uncomfortable, nervous, or unsure about the content. If this happens at a friend’s house or in school, report to an adult.

b) Turn on Social Media Privacy Settings

social media platforms today have privacy settings for the safety of their users. The best way to use this setting is to keep your account private. You can manually approve new followers or friend requests.

c) Be Responsible

disclose your personal information, such as phone number, address, or bank details on social media. Most importantly, think hard before posting anything online, whether it is a social media post, a comment, or a response in an online forum. Keep in mind that everything is public and can be seen by everyone.

Parental Control Software can also be quite helpful as it can help you to keep track of your child’s online activities so that you can protect and maintain their digital footprint. Instead of spying on them or asking them to disclose passwords, use these programs to smartly monitor their activity without forcefully having to refrain them from using the Internet.

You can easily control the websites they are accessing as well as the keywords they search for it. It also allows parents to filter the Internet to weed out unwanted sites, and you can set the alarm to beep in case any flagged sites are clicked on or visited on your child’s digital device.