Digital Shadows

Take a moment to think about who you are now, and who you were two decades ago. You've likely evolved and changed in various ways over that time - your behaviours, belief systems, attitudes, self-awareness. Most of us can recall doing something regrettable at one time - perhaps an embarrassing misadventure that thankfully exists only in our memory. For me, it was sneaking into a Drum & Bass rave underage. But unlike that questionable moment in my life, not everything today can remain hidden.

In this digital age, mistakes are being captured and forming the foundations of our children's digital footprints. While this may seem harmless, these errors of judgement remain attached to our younger, virtual selves which too often lead to upsetting, harmful, and sometimes life-threatening consequences.

The Reality of Online Presence

An online presence refers to the collective existence and visibility of a person or entity on the internet. It encompasses all the digital footprints and activities that contribute to how that person is perceived online including their presence on social media platforms, buying habits, gaming sites, online marketplaces, and chat forums.

In today's world, children are being exposed earlier than ever before to the risks that come with having an online presence. With 72% of children globally encountering cyber threats, the need for awareness and age appropriate access is critical. Consider these alarming UK statistics:

These figures lay bare the crisis. With a low threshold to accessing these online environments, it is falling more to adults such as parents, carers and teachers to educate children on the dangers and consequences, and ensuring the right boundaries and protections are in place.

You may ask yourselves when seeing these readily available statistics, why do we let our kids online? In many cases, societal pressure and convenience play their roles. To keep up with trends or to take a moment's respite, many parents introduce their children to the online world and empower them with technologies. But as kids establish online identities, they become vulnerable to risks they may not comprehend.

A Call to Awareness and Preparedness

My work in human intelligence has exposed me to the grim realities of online exploitation. Threat actors specifically target children. Why? It's often due to their vulnerability, which increases the likelihood of falling victim, but also due to their lack of understanding and awareness of the risk and dangers which come with being online. Children face threats like social engineering and fraud, alongside more sinister dangers like sextortion and manipulation by adversaries. There are so many heart-wrenching stories which highlight child victims who succumbed to the pressure of cyber threats. Each tale underscores the dire consequences of unchecked digital footprints.

It is also important to note that there are many examples where inappropriate actions, posts or pictures attached to a childhood digital footprint have gone on to impact adult careers and opportunities. When we grow up, often our opinions and behaviours change. But our childhood digital footprint remains searchable and unchanged. Both adults and children being conscious to this, could go towards shaping wiser and more conscientious internet use.

Toward a Digital Awareness

While it's tempting to shield our children entirely from the digital world, that's neither feasible nor practical. Instead, we must embrace education and preparedness. It takes a community effort to guide children toward understanding and managing their digital footprints, with a core focus being on the concepts of 'protecting' and 'responding'.

Protection

There are a variety of social movements rallying support to keep children safe online, ensure they have age-appropriate access, and can be accountable to their digital footprint. "Smartphone Free Childhood " has gained huge traction in the last 12 months due to their informed response to delaying access to smartphones and providing actionable and empowering steps to support parents in saying no and providing alternative age appropriate technologies. Other initiatives such as Screenwise Child UAE, ScreenStrong US and TurnDownTech New Zealand also advocate for age-appropriate digital access. These movements highlight that children can have technology, can have a digital footprint, but in a structured and age-appropriate fashion.

As parents, guardians, and community members it is critical we also embody cyber conscious and cyber safe behaviours in our day to day. These include behaviours such as using strong passwords, applying multi-factor authentication, managing and patching our own devices, and also in demonstrating cyber-positive attitudes online including the age-old motto of 'speak to others how you would like to be spoken to'. By adopting mindful technology practices ourselves, and assessing each child as an individual with their own digital awareness, we can guide our children and families toward safer online experiences.

Response

We must also cultivate environments where children feel safe to discuss their online experiences. Establishing open dialogues about the importance of strong passwords, kindness online, and cyber awareness paves the way for them to seek guidance in troubling situations. Additionally, a range of organizations offer support to families navigating these challenges. Some recommended resources can be accessed at Need cyber help?

The Path Forward

Our children are forging digital footprints earlier than ever, often unaware of the accompanying risks, dangers and consequences. While we can't eliminate the existence of online threats, we can empower them through protective measures and responsive strategies that help them to know they are supported and safe.

You can hear more about this topic in Rebecca's TEDxWalthamstow talk.

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