Your Digital Breadcrumbs

Have you ever tried Googling yourself and seeing what comes up? The results might surprise you. When we navigate the digital world, we leave behind a trail of “breadcrumbs” that can reveal a lot about us. This information can be used for everything from targeted advertising to identity theft. 

It’s impossible to completely erase your digital breadcrumbs, also known as a digital footprint. But it is possible and necessary to limit the amount and type of information that you share in the digital world. For parents, they should consider not just the information that they’re sharing about themselves, but the information that they’re sharing about their children as well. This phenomenon of parents oversharing information about their children is known as “sharenting,” and according to a UK report, by 2030 two-thirds of identity fraud will stem from “sharenting.”

In addition to parents, it is critically important that our children understand privacy in the digital world. A child might not understand the consequences of accepting a stranger’s friend request or sharing a picture that includes their address. But our students are living in these digital worlds, so it is important that they learn what is okay to post online and what is not. 

“In the time it takes to click on a link, a child somewhere begins creating a digital trail which those not necessarily considering the child’s best interest can follow and potentially exploit,” said Laurence Chandy, UNICEF Director of Data, Research and Policy. “As younger and younger children join the Internet, the need to have a serious discussion about how to keep them safe online and secure their digital footprint becomes increasingly urgent.”

When we share information online, it is easy only to think of the people we want to see our posts. Family. Friends. But it’s important for children to understand that there are other people who want to see our posts, too. And their intentions might not be good.