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BE INTERNET SHARP
Smart sharing, not oversharing

News (good and bad) travels fast online, and can sometimes lead to tricky situations with lasting consequences. Teach children what can be shared, and how to share safely, with those they know — and those they don’t.

What is a digital footprint?

Your digital footprint is made up of everything online that involves you, whether it came from you originally, or was posted by someone else. It can include photos, videos, texts, audio, social media posts, emails, gamer handles and more.

Activity

With your child, search online for a famous person you both like. Talk about all the different things you find that make up this person’s digital footprint.

Be sure to explain that the results may not always be truthful and that, once something is out there, it could be seen (and re-shared) by anyone in the world.

Should I be
sharing it?

It’s important that children understand what information is OK to share publicly and what should be kept private. Remind them that personal details should only ever be given to people and sites they trust completely and, if they’re ever unsure, they just shouldn’t share.

While sharing things like pets names, hobbies and favourite colours are very low risk, other information such as addresses, phone numbers, important dates, or even personal photos, are more high risk and should be thought about carefully before being posted anywhere online.

Avoiding digital mistakes

The things we post online could stay there forever. Children should know that oversharing, or saying something mean in a public forum, could have a negative impact by being brought up again in the future. This is why building a positive digital footprint is important.

Activity


Create some family rules about what can be shared and what shouldn’t be shared online. Start with a rule about the photos you take at home, for example.

Setting clear expectations will help everyone be more responsible.

Resource

Family Link

Set digital ground rules for your children to help guide them as they learn, play, and explore online.

Set screen time limits

View activity

Manage devices and apps remotely

Go to Family Link

Quick lessons
for little ones...

Keep personal details about yourself, friends and family, private.

If in doubt, ask an adult if it’s OK to share something. .

Don’t assume what people are like based only on what you’ve seen about them online — remember you're not getting the full picture.

  • Be Internet Sharp