Your digital footprint and online reputation

Everything you post, like and share adds up to a picture of you that universities, employers and others can find. You cannot erase it all, but you can shape it, starting today.

What your digital footprint is

• Your digital footprint is everything you post or share online, plus what is collected about you (Childline).
• Many platforms set accounts to public by default, so people you do not know may see more than you expect (Childline).
• Screenshots mean even 'disappearing' messages can be saved and shared (Childline).
• Friends' posts and settings affect your footprint too, for example when they tag you (UK Safer Internet Centre).

Who might look

• In a Kaplan survey of 205 US admissions officers (August to December 2023), 28 per cent said they had visited applicants' social media.
• 67 per cent of those officers considered it 'fair game', and Kaplan found that when they do look, they are far more likely to find something that hurts an applicant than helps.
• Employers check too: a 2017 CareerBuilder survey found 70 per cent of US employers used social media to screen candidates, and 54 per cent had found content that led them not to hire someone.
• These are US figures, but the principle applies everywhere: assume anything public can be seen by the people deciding your future.

Audit yourself in 20 minutes

• Search your full name (and common spellings) in a search engine and look at web and image results (UK Safer Internet Centre).
• Review privacy settings on every account: who can see your posts, tag you, and whether your profile appears in search engines (Childline).
• Delete or deactivate old accounts you no longer use; unused accounts can also be hacked without you noticing (UK Safer Internet Centre).
• Check which apps have access to your contacts, photos and messages, and remove permissions you do not need (Childline).

Think before you post

• Ask: would I be happy for a future university, employer or teacher to see this? Once something is online it can be very hard to remove permanently (UK Safer Internet Centre).
• Never post your address, phone number or school name publicly (Childline).
• Do not post photos or videos of other people without their consent. In the UAE this can also be a legal matter (see the Privacy and AI lesson).
• Avoid posting when angry. Write it, wait an hour, then decide.

Fixing problems and building a positive footprint

• Delete your own posts through the platform's settings, or edit out personal details if you cannot delete them (Childline).
• Ask friends or family to take down things they posted about you and explain why it matters (Childline).
• Google and Bing have forms for requesting removal of some links; an adult can help you complete them, and the search engine decides (Childline).
• Build a positive footprint: a blog about something you care about, a charity fundraising page, or a video teaching a skill (UK Safer Internet Centre).
• For harmful content such as bullying or intimate images, report it to the platform and get help (see the Personal Safety module).