Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 Post 3: Digital Milestones: From Email Accounts to Social Media Profiles
As children grow and enter school, their digital presence evolves from simply being shared by their parents to actively participating in the online world. It starts innocently enough—a new email account for school projects, a social media profile to keep up with friends—but with each new digital milestone, their online visibility grows. And with that visibility comes the potential for vulnerability.
In today’s world, we must help kids understand the importance of protecting their digital presence. From creating strong passwords to thinking critically about what they share online, building a secure foundation for their digital life is essential. In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the world of social media, explain how every post, like, and comment contributes to their digital profile, and offer tips to help guide them through these digital milestones safely.
The Digital Milestones of Childhood and Adolescence
For children, the journey of building a digital footprint begins as early as elementary school. Whether they’re signing up for their first email address or creating a social media account, every interaction adds to their growing online presence.
Here are some key digital milestones that most kids will experience:
The First Email Account
Many children’s first step into the online world is creating an email address, often for school-related projects. This seemingly small step is significant—email is often used to sign up for other accounts, and the information tied to this email becomes part of their digital identity.
Social Media Profiles
By middle school or early high school, many children start creating social media profiles. Whether it’s Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok, social media platforms are where much of their interaction with peers happens. The more they post, the larger and more permanent their digital footprint becomes.
Gaming Accounts and Online Communities
Platforms like Fortnite, Roblox, or Twitch allow kids to create accounts, connect with friends, and even make in-game purchases. Each of these accounts adds to their digital profile.
Educational Apps and Online Learning
Many schools use digital platforms for assignments, quizzes, and collaboration. While helpful, these platforms often collect data about students’ behaviors, performance, and interests, adding another layer to their online presence.
Each of these milestones represents a significant moment in their digital life. But with each step forward, the risks of exposure, data collection, and online vulnerability increase. That’s why it’s so important for parents and children alike to understand how every post, like, and comment impacts their overall digital profile.
How Social Media Contributes to Your Digital Profile
When it comes to social media, many people—especially kids—don’t fully understand the extent to which their actions are tracked, analyzed, and used to build a detailed profile of them. Here’s how it works:
Posts and Updates
Every time your child posts a photo, shares a thought, or updates their status, they are adding data points to their online profile. This content can be analyzed to determine their interests, mood, habits, and even location.
Likes and Comments
It’s not just about what you share—it’s also about what you engage with. Every time your child likes a post, comments on a picture, or reacts to a story, that interaction is tracked. Algorithms use this information to determine what content to show them next, but it’s also used to refine their digital profile for advertisers.
Friend Connections
Who they interact with matters. Social media platforms track who your child follows, friends, or frequently engages with. These connections help platforms build a network of related interests and behaviors, adding even more depth to their digital profile.
Activity and Behavior
Social media platforms track how often your child logs in, how long they spend on certain posts or videos, and which content grabs their attention. This behavior is used to tailor their social media experience but also to sell highly targeted ads.
The Real-World Consequences of a Growing Digital Profile
Your child’s growing digital footprint isn’t just a collection of innocent posts and likes—it’s valuable data. Data brokers, advertisers, and even potential employers in the future may have access to the digital profile your child is building right now. Here’s why that matters:
Targeted Advertising
Social media platforms use digital profiles to deliver targeted ads. If your child frequently posts about a favorite hobby or interacts with specific types of content, advertisers will use that information to sell products directly aligned with their interests. While this might seem harmless, it normalizes constant surveillance and data harvesting.
Shaping Behavior
Social media algorithms are designed to keep users engaged. This means that the content your child sees is increasingly tailored to their preferences, but also what will keep them scrolling. This can lead to an echo chamber effect, where they only see content that reinforces their beliefs or interests, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.
Long-Term Reputation
While kids may not think about the future impact of what they post online, their digital profile can follow them for years. Inappropriate posts, controversial comments, or risky behaviors may resurface years later when they apply for college or a job. Employers and educational institutions often check social media profiles as part of the decision-making process.
Privacy Risks
The more personal information your child shares online, the greater the risk of identity theft or cyberbullying. Cybercriminals can use the data found in social media profiles to impersonate others or gain access to private accounts.
Tips for Parents and Children: Protecting Your Digital Profile
Now that we understand how every social media interaction builds a digital profile, here are some steps you can take to protect your child’s online presence and ensure they are creating a healthy, secure digital footprint.
Set Social Media Privacy Settings
One of the easiest ways to protect your child’s digital profile is by ensuring that their social media accounts are set to private. This limits who can see their posts, follow them, or engage with their content. Regularly review privacy settings, as platforms frequently update them.
Encourage Mindful Posting
Teach your child to think before they post. Remind them that everything they share online contributes to their digital footprint, and once something is posted, it can be difficult to remove completely. Encourage them to ask themselves: “Would I want future teachers, employers, or family members to see this?”
Limit Personal Information
Remind your child not to overshare personal details like their location, full name, school, or phone number. This information can be used by strangers or advertisers to track their behavior or, worse, put them at risk for identity theft or predatory behavior.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords
Every account your child creates is an entry point to their digital life. Make sure they use strong, unique passwords for each platform, and encourage them to change passwords regularly. Consider using a password manager to keep track of all their accounts.
Monitor Social Media Usage
While giving kids the freedom to explore the digital world is important, parents should still monitor their social media usage. Pay attention to the apps they are using, the people they are interacting with, and the type of content they engage with. Having an open dialogue about social media safety is key.
Understand the Data Collection Practices
Help your child understand that every time they use social media, they are contributing data that can be collected and used by the platform. By being mindful of the types of information they share and limiting unnecessary interactions, they can reduce their exposure to unwanted data collection.
Consider Using a Secondary Account
For non-essential interactions, such as signing up for newsletters or entering online contests, consider creating a secondary email address. This helps protect their primary email from being flooded with spam or used by advertisers.
Cyber Safety: A Life Skill for the Digital Age
In our hyper-connected world, cyber safety isn’t just an optional add-on—it’s a life skill. The digital milestones that children and adolescents experience are shaping their future in ways many parents never had to consider. Helping them build a secure, responsible digital profile from an early age is one of the most important things you can do to protect their future.
By being proactive, setting good habits, and understanding the risks, parents and children alike can navigate the online world more safely.
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