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Protecting your children from their digital footprint

Oh Sieng Chye ABC Technology and Games 25 May 2015

Parents love posting videos and photos of their families online, but we all have that one friend who won't stop sharing photos of their children.


Parents love posting videos and photos of their families online, but we all have that one friend who won't stop sharing photos of their children. Beyond being plain annoying, there are reasons behind why limiting and safely sharing are better options. As personal information becomes increasingly accessible online, it is important to think about what you share.

The content shared online becomes a digital footprint, basically it's a digital trail of where you've been and who you've been with. The information can be actively left behind by sharing personal images and posts. Alternatively, when other people share photos or posts of you they are passively contributing to your digital footprint. This could include pictures parents' post of their child, which can become risky. So here's some common problems and how to avoid them.

What are the risks?

Over-sharing photos of your children can create problems. Firstly, without your child's permission, is it really fair to put their images on the internet? Online information has a level of permanency, and certain posts can resurface when your kids become teenagers. Creating your child's digital footprint before they have given consent can cause issues as your kids get older.

Furthermore, once the images are online they may be shared and saved by anyone. These images could be republished on another account or site, which you have no control over. Before posting remember the internet is a public place, and you can't choose who views the images, and what people do with them. Do you really want colleagues and long-forgotten school friends seeing pictures of your children in your backyard?

Also, remember it's always a safer option to keep personal information such as your child's school and your house location private. Sensitive information shouldn't be shared online.

How to protect your family's digital footprint

When it comes to clearing your digital footprint, prevention is always better than a cure. However, if you want to check your child's digital footprint and remove some posts, follow these simple steps:

  • Map the existing digital footprint with a Google search
  • Use the appropriate methods to remove the content (this can involve un-tagging, changing privacy settings or deleting a post)
  • Make sure your privacy settings on all social networks are at a level you are happy with
  • If you find old accounts, use sites such as, which helps enable you to easily delete your account from web services
  • If the previous steps are unachievable, get in contact with the webmaster of the site the information appears on, to remove content
  • Always remember to keep your passwords private
  • Further information use resources such as are available to continue educating yourself and your family

The digital footprint of your child is not something that you should be scared of. There are many ways to share safely. Just remember to not get intimidated, as protecting your family online will become second nature.

Oh Sieng Chye works for ESET.

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