How Teens Benefit From Having a Positive Digital Footprint

We live in an age where the sheer abundance of information available makes it hard to take a clear stance on things sometimes.

There’s been much discourse about government surveillance, our personal data being sold by big corporations, and the benefits of keeping your life offline. Simultaneously, it’s becoming evident that if you don’t have an online presence, a lot of paths become harder to cross.

The dilemma becomes ten times more confusing when you add teens to the mix. They’re young, wide-eyed and vulnerable. Does it even make sense for them to be engaging in online communities?

The harsh truth is YES. It does.

Treading the line between being safe and “putting yourself out there” is one that we need to pay more attention to, especially when it concerns our youth. So here goes — the most compelling reasons why building a digital footprint is so important for students. If you like it, let us know and we’ll set about writing exactly HOW to go about it next!

Before we jump in, what exactly is a Digital Footprint?

“Digital footprint” is one of those wonderful terms that perfectly captures what it’s trying to describe. Simply put, it’s the trail of online information that you leave behind for everyone else to see.

It includes a record of things you’ve interacted with, content that you’ve uploaded, social media profiles, blog posts… Anything that you put up on the Internet and that can be traced back to you is fair game. This includes likes you leave on posts or cookies that you collect by visiting certain websites that form your “passive” footprint.

Why it’s important to (carefully and safely) develop one as a student

All that said, it’s time to get to the crux of the matter — what’s in it for the kids who work on developing their digital footprints?

Think of it as a profile that everyone can access to get an idea of who you really are — and you get full control over it

We all know how to make sure we don’t leave an online trail. Incognito mode on, fake email IDs deployed, multiple profiles activated, we’ve got it all down!

However, there are perks to leaving some of your history up and accessible — albeit selectively.

Curating your digital footprint is a skill that’s as important now as it’s ever been. While all the cat videos your kids chuckle at in the middle of the night can go ignored, things like awards they’ve won, performances they’ve put up at school and projects that they’ve made for science class that turned out well can all go up as they contribute towards the narrative you want to create around your child.

Portfolios of any kind are especially important to keep up. Be it art or programming, having a space to collect all that your kids are working on goes a long way in establishing the creativity that your kid possesses…

…And this will come in handy in the (not so distant) future

93% of employers say they use the results that pop up after a quick google search to screen applicants — and 35% straight up eliminate options based on what they find.

Of course your CVs and interviews are still important, there’s just an additional source of information that employers can tap into now and they’re doing so quite liberally.

Keep in mind that there’s a lot of debate about whether this kind of profiling is ethical. It was found that Google searches of candidates lead to candidates being eliminated from consideration more than improving their chances, which is not the most comforting thought. Till something changes, though, it makes sense to use this to your advantage and curate a strong footprint that works in your favour.

How to Apply All This

We’re all ultra aware of the risks of sharing parts of our lives online, so much so that we forget about the benefits. Have a talk with your teen about how a strong digital footprint that points at the right kind of things will end up being a hugely positive asset.

The mid-to-late teens are usually when kids start moving from video games and chat rooms to using the internet more creatively, so it makes sense for them to be aware of the importance of curating their presence from then on.

There are many ways to ensure that your digital footprint is developed safely and to your benefit, and our next post will address all the nitty gritties of that process so stay tuned!