Digital Citizenship

Your Digital Footprint: Digital Citizenship Tips for Students and Parents

Help Your Student to Create a Positive Digital Footprint

  • Your digital footprint is created with every post, submission, blog entry, or Facebook and Twitter comment. Anything that is shared can be copied by anyone who has access to your social media accounts. And anything that is accessed can be shared later without your permission.
  • Students and adults find an anonymity in social media that can lead to bad choices in the way they interact with others.
  • Cyberbullying can have devastating effects on the bullied, and on the bully (most states have criminal consequences for bullying that reaches the level of threats).
  • Use the parent tips below to teach your student about reputation management and help them create a Positive Digital Footprint.
  • Additional information below outlines safe, responsible actions for students who are being bullied.
  • Having a digital footprint is almost unavoidable. Help your child build a positive footprint.

What Should Parents Do?

  • Help your child use privacy settings on their social media accounts.
  • Help your child to understand that social media posts are public, and oversharing their feelings can have negative results. Tell them to use the WWGS rule. (What Would Grandma Say?) 
  • Don't share anything that you would not want your grandmother, teachers, future bosses, or religious leaders to see.
  • Help your child understand that online pranks and sarcasm, or irony do not always translate as such online.
  • If you suspect that your child is involved in cyber bullying, act.

What Should Cyber Bullied Students Do?

  • Tell a trusted adult.
  • Report it to school officials. 
  • Save the evidence, don’t delete it. If the bullying continues, you may need to show it to police.
  • Do not respond to or repost the bullying comments.
  • Report the abuse to the website or application on which it occurred.
  • Delete the account you are being bullied on, and don’t share your new profile except with trusted friends/family.
  • Consider taking a break from social media, if you are not participating the bully’s motivation disappears.
  • Do not accept friend invites from strangers.
  • If bullying continues, report the issue to the police.

Online Resources

  • Netsafe Utah - Online videos and resources for kids, teens, parents and educators, including Internet Safety information
  • Netsmartz – Content for Parents, Kids, Tweens, and Teens
  • Digital Compass – An online interactive, choose-­your-­own-­adventure experience