Image source: File:Footprints in sand at grassy head beach.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)
Every time you post, like, comment, share or search online, you leave a footprint. Who might follow your trail?
In this post:
- Your digital footprint
- The main security risks on social media and the Internet
- How to protect yourself: privacy settings, strong passwords and smart posting
- A password tester, a sorting activity, a scam spotter and a quiz
Your digital footprint
Your digital footprint is the trail of information you leave online. It includes the photos and videos you post, your comments and likes, the things you search for and the websites you visit. It also includes what other people post about you.
Why does it matter? Posts can be copied and screenshotted, so they can last for years, even after you delete them. In the future, schools, scholarship committees and employers may look you up online. A kind, sensible footprint helps you; a careless one can hurt you.
Watch: what is a digital footprint?
This short video explains what a digital footprint is and how to keep yours positive. What are two things you could do this week to protect yours?
Video: What Is a Digital Footprint? – Common Sense Education – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixxb4BWCBwY
What are the risks?
| Risk | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised access (hacking) | Someone gets into your account without permission. | A classmate guesses your password and posts embarrassing messages as you. |
| Phishing and email scams | Fake messages that trick you into giving away passwords, personal details or money. | “You won a new phone! Click here and enter your password to claim it.” |
| Identity theft and impersonation | Someone uses your personal details or photos to pretend to be you. | A fake account with your name and profile picture asks your friends for money. |
| Oversharing your location | Posting where you are, or where you will be, tells strangers too. | “Whole family off to the party tonight! 🎉” tells a burglar that your house will be empty. |
| Unsafe contacts | People online are not always who they say they are. | A “13-year-old” who wants to chat in private and keep it a secret may really be an adult. |
How to protect yourself
- Use privacy settings. Make your profile private so only friends can see your posts, and turn off location tagging.
- Use strong passwords. Make them long (12 or more characters), for example three or four random words with numbers and symbols, like
Mango-Tree-Bus-42!(but don’t use that one!). Use a different password for each account, never share them with friends, and change a password straight away if you think someone knows it or if a site says it has been hacked. Turn on two-step verification if the app offers it. - Never post your home address, school, phone number or where you are going. Share holiday photos after you get home.
- Ignore messages offering prizes, money or free stuff, and never click links or open attachments from people you do not know.
- Only accept friend requests from people you know in real life.
- Think before you post: would you be happy for your teacher, your grandmother or a future employer to see it?
- Check the age rules. Most social media apps say users must be at least 13.
- Tell a trusted adult if anything online makes you feel uncomfortable, scared or pressured.
Activity: password tester
Try it: how strong is this password?
⚠ Never type a real password here (or anywhere it is not needed). Make up a pretend one to test. Start with “cat123”, then improve it step by step until the bar turns green. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere; the check runs only on this page.
Activity: share it or keep it private?
Try it: what is OK on a public profile?
Imagine you are setting up a profile for a school club’s page. Drag each item into the right box (or tap the card, then tap the box).
OK to share ✔
Keep private ✘
Activity: spot the scam
Read this pretend message. How many warning signs can you find? Then open the answers.
From: TT-Mobile Prizes <winner-alert@freeprizes-tt.example>
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU WON!!!
Dear Customer, you have been selected to win a FREE new phone! Click the link below within 1 hour and enter your account password and your parents’ bank card number to pay the $5 delivery fee. Hurry or your prize will be given away!
Show the warning signs
- A prize you never entered for.
- A strange sender address that is not a real company.
- “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
- Pressure to hurry (“within 1 hour”).
- It asks for your password and a bank card number. Real companies never ask for your password.
- ALL CAPS and lots of !!!.
Self-check quiz
Click the best answer. You get feedback straight away; only your first click counts towards your score.
1. What is a digital footprint?
2. Which is the strongest password?
3. When should you change a password?
4. Why should you NOT post “Off to the beach for the whole day!”?
5. An email says you won a prize and asks for your password. It is probably…
6. Who should you accept friend requests from?
Related posts on islandclass.org
- Creating and managing Passwords online. – more on strong passwords
For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.
- Computer Security, Cybersecurity and Computer Misuse: Vulnerability, Threat, Attack and Countermeasure
- Protecting Computers and Data: Physical, Software and Personal Security Countermeasures
Next: Cyberbullying: What It Is and What To Do
Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 6, Objective 6.2 – explain security issues related to social media and internet usage.
Attributions to media used in this post:
- Footprints in sand at grassy head beach.jpg – Jonathon Coombes – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Video: What Is a Digital Footprint? – Common Sense Education (YouTube)
Updates
2026/10/21
- Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.