At what age should children manage their digital footprints?
Is there an appropriate age for children to be encouraged to consider their digital footprint? Should primary students be worried about their college applications and future employability? Who is responsible for ensuring a child has a positive digital footprint?
Ultimately, I believe it is the responsibility of both parents and the schools to educate children about Digital Citizenship. However, it is critical for both teachers and parents to learn how to manage their own online presence first, if they are to be able to effectively teach children about the positive and negative consequences of digital footprints. Lisa Nielsen discusses the importance of teachers firstly managing their own digital footprints in her blog:
“Teaching kids to manage their Digital Footprint really starts with the adults. Teachers can’t teach this effectively if they, themselves have not managed their own digital footprint.”
https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.in/2010/02/teaching-kids-to-manager-their-digital.html
A few events this week have given me a chance to reflect on young children’s digital footprints and how concerned we should be about them. Firstly, my ten year old son was telling us about a school project he had worked on. When he searched our home town for a photograph he was surprised that his image came up on the beach. Even more surprising for him was his parents reaction to this (panic and intense questioning). Did it have your name? Why was it there? What else came up? Have you saved our photo’s somewhere? Every online parenting fear quickly went through our heads. After a bit of investigation, it turned out it that was a photo that we had submitted to ‘The Guardian’ as part of a ‘UK beaches after the storms‘ article. The storm at home subsided. Panicking parents were the only problem.
Another interesting discussion occurred in my Grade 2 class after we appeared in the national newspaper ‘The Hindu’ this week. My class were very concerned that my surname had been included in the article. We all know the rules; you don’t share your name. ‘It’s okay in the paper you can throw it away’ was one response. And another student pointed out that ‘If you are an adult it is okay’. Both were excellent observations and some interesting conversations followed. Yes, adults are responsible for themselves, and yes, when things are on the internet they are permanently accessible. What also felt important was that the students themselves had initiated this dialogue. This awareness and reflection about identify safety from such a young age is important in the understanding of a positive digital footprint.
I am fortunate to teach in a school that values Digital Citizenship. Our class blogs have links to age-appropriate Digital Citizenship lessons from Common Sense Media. The Information Literacy Teacher delivers the Common Sense Education programme to students at an age-appropriate level. Students as young as 6 learn what a digital footprint/trail is and that this can be helpful or hurtful.
Parents also have access to this information on each Class Blog.
We also have guidelines that outline how students’ images or work should be used. This helps to create an awareness of what is appropriate, with clear guidelines about what can and cannot be published. Within this document it also mentions the importance of representing students positively:
“we will not publish materials that may be considered objectionable or detrimental to the interests of any individual member of the Stonehill community or the school.”
Guidelines for the Publication of Students’ Images or Work, Stonehill International School
The Common Sense Media resources that we have adopted at our school have many excellent resources for teachers to use. Below is one of the videos used to help explain to students what a digital footprint is, and why you should consider what you post online.
So to answer my initial questions, no, we do not need to panic a 5 year old about their college application or employability. However, teachers and parents should be aware of content they are publishing and the impact it may have when viewed by audiences with multiple perspectives, both now and in the future. A Grade 2 student should have an understanding of what their digital footprint is, and should be encouraged to reflect on their online presence. And lastly, I believe that teachers, administrators and parents are all responsible for ensuring that children have a positive online presence and that they help them develop an understanding of their digital footprint as soon as they are given access to the web.
What does your digital footprint look like? Were you online before you knew what a digital footprint was?
I was online before I knew what a digital footprint was, and although I figured it out, I didn’t really try to manage my own footprint until I was in COETAIL. My coworkers and I joke (but it’s no joke) that we are glad we were in college before digital cameras.
Fortunately we can somewhat control our own footprints by creating and sharing content.
I agree, so called ‘Generation Z’ are growing up with a new set of rules!
Thanks to COETAIL I’m also learning the importance of how creating and sharing content can help me to manage my own footprint.
Thanks for the comment Tom!
What an insightful, helpful post! Thanks for the link on the Common Sense Media resources. It was also great to read your school’s guidelines on publishing student images and work. My school doesn’t have anything like this yet. I have always felt a bit nervous posting my students’ work and images online, to the point where I will pixelate their faces. I know there are other options, but I guess I’ve assumed that in absence of these guidelines, it’s the safest way for me to share what we’re doing without getting in trouble with my school. Reading your post though, I’m inspired to help my school create a similar set of guidelines. I realize now that it’s important to communicate what we’re doing with parents, give them options, and help everyone involved to realize that we can share and celebrate what our students are doing in a safe way.
Thanks Tara!
Good luck creating a set of guidelines. It is a great way to initiate discussions in the community about what is appropriate and why.
@amandag, your article raises some great questions and topics for discussion. Though I’m not particularly concerned about Amazon book review my 2nd graders write reflecting poorly on them when they apply to Harvard, I am concerned when the adults in their lives are not fully aware about our footprints (I’ve started removing the ‘digital’ after reading @louisephinney Louise Phinney’s blog post). At most of the school’s I’ve worked at, we are required to teach lessons about a digital citizenship, but have received no training on the subject. Additionally, there has been no dialogue about the footprints we’re leaving and those we’re encouraging our kids to leave. In a school environment, the first step is the adults! Now… to start the conversation!
Hi Angela, I agree- it’s the awareness of the adults in the lives of our grade 2 students that is the area for concern. Whose responsibility is it to educate all of the adults about student’s footprints? Parent workshops are a great way to share information but are usually only annual. A parent advice letter available on the website might be more beneficial.
Thanks for the link to the blog post by @louisephinney: I’m now analysing my use of the word digital!