A comprehensive guide for parents to audit and secure their children's digital footprint across devices, accounts, and online services
Children today create digital footprints before they can even walk. From birth announcements on social media to accounts on educational platforms, their data is being collected, stored, and sometimes shared with third parties.
This comprehensive checklist will help you:
Use this checklist as a step-by-step guide, checking off items as you complete them. Items are marked by priority level to help you focus on the most critical actions first.
Set up age-appropriate restrictions on smartphones, tablets, computers, gaming consoles, and smart TVs.
Tip: Most devices have built-in parental control options in the Settings menu. For more robust protection, consider a dedicated parental control app.
Review and adjust location services, camera access, microphone access, and ad tracking settings.
Tip: For iOS devices, go to Settings → Privacy. For Android, go to Settings → Privacy. Disable location services for all apps except those that truly need it.
Opt out of personalized ads and tracking to reduce data collection about your child.
Tip: On iOS, go to Settings → Privacy → Tracking and toggle off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." On Android, go to Settings → Google → Ads and toggle on "Opt out of Ads Personalization."
Audit which apps have access to contacts, camera, microphone, location, and other sensitive data.
Tip: Schedule a monthly "permission check" to review which apps have what permissions and revoke unnecessary access.
Set up DNS-level filtering or a dedicated content filtering solution to block inappropriate content across all devices on your home network.
Tip: Consider solutions like OpenDNS Family Shield, Circle by Disney, or router-level parental controls.
Use built-in tools or third-party apps to monitor and limit screen time while respecting age-appropriate privacy.
Tip: Use Apple's Screen Time, Google's Family Link, or third-party solutions like Qustodio or Bark to set healthy digital boundaries.
Periodically clear browser data to minimize tracking and protect privacy.
Tip: Consider setting browsers to automatically clear cookies and history when closed, or use private/incognito browsing for sensitive searches.
Use browsers designed for children or set up safe search engines as defaults on your child's devices.
Tip: Consider options like Kiddle, KidRex, or SafeSearch Kids as default search engines for younger children.
Make a comprehensive list of all accounts (email, gaming, educational, social media) that contain your child's information.
Tip: Include the platform name, login email, and whether you have access to the account in your inventory.
Create and manage strong, unique passwords for each online account your child uses.
Tip: Consider using a family password manager like 1Password Family or LastPass Families to securely store and manage passwords.
Add an extra layer of security to important accounts by requiring a second verification step beyond the password.
Tip: Use an authenticator app rather than SMS when possible, as text messages can be intercepted.
Ensure recovery emails, phone numbers, and security questions are up-to-date and secure for all accounts.
Tip: Use your email address as the recovery option for younger children's accounts to maintain access.
Use services that monitor for data breaches to check if any of your child's account information has been compromised.
Tip: Services like Have I Been Pwned can alert you if your email address or username appears in a data breach.
Set up family groups and parental supervision options on platforms that offer them (Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.).
Tip: Family sharing allows you to approve app downloads and purchases while maintaining appropriate oversight.
Check for unusual login locations or devices on your child's accounts to detect potential unauthorized access.
Tip: Most major platforms (Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc.) have a "Login Activity" or "Recent Devices" section in their security settings.
Identify and properly close any accounts your child no longer uses to minimize their digital footprint.
Tip: Before closing an account, download any data you want to keep, then follow the platform's account deletion process.
Use reverse image search tools to check if your child's photos appear on websites without your knowledge.
Tip: Use Google Images, TinEye, or other reverse image search tools with a recent photo of your child to see where it appears online.
Review and adjust privacy settings on any social media accounts your child uses or where you post about them.
Tip: Set accounts to private, limit who can see posts, disable location tagging, and restrict who can tag your child in photos.
Establish clear guidelines about what information and images of your child can be shared online and by whom.
Tip: Include extended family members in this conversation to ensure everyone understands your boundaries regarding sharing photos or information about your child.
Regularly check for tags, mentions, or photos of your child posted by others and request removal if needed.
Tip: Set up Google Alerts for your child's name to be notified when it appears online.
Review your own social media accounts for oversharing about your child and delete or restrict access to sensitive content.
Tip: Consider removing or making private posts that reveal your child's full name, birthdate, school, location, or other identifying information.
Review settings on cloud photo services, photo sharing apps, and backup solutions to ensure they're not publicly accessible.
Tip: Many cloud services have automatic sharing or facial recognition features that should be reviewed and possibly disabled.
Periodically search for your child's name online to be aware of what information is available about them.
Tip: Use different search engines and try variations of their name, including nicknames, to get a comprehensive view.
Contact websites, platforms, or individuals to remove unwanted photos or information about your child.
Tip: Most platforms have content removal request processes. Be persistent and cite privacy concerns related to minors if needed.
"Sharenting" - parents sharing information about their children online - can create an extensive digital footprint before a child can consent. By age 13, the average child has 1,300+ photos of themselves online.
Consider the "Privacy Pause": Before posting about your child, pause and ask yourself:
Understand what student data your child's school collects, how it's used, and how long it's retained.
Tip: Ask for your school's data security policies and find out which educational apps and services the school uses that collect student data.
Help your child understand the importance of privacy and develop good habits for protecting their information online.
Tip: Make it a regular conversation topic and lead by example with your own privacy practices.
Exercise your right to opt out of data collection and sharing for your child when available.
Tip: Check your school district's policies for data opt-out forms and carefully review permission forms for field trips, photos, directories, etc.
Develop a process for reviewing privacy policies and settings before allowing your child to use new apps or services.
Tip: Look for apps that comply with children's privacy laws like COPPA (USA) or GDPR-K (EU), and have clear, child-friendly privacy policies.
Keep records of all requests to remove your child's data, including dates, contacts, and responses.
Tip: Create a dedicated folder (physical or digital) for privacy-related documentation for easy reference.
Keep up with changes in privacy laws and regulations that affect children's data protection.
Tip: Follow organizations like Common Sense Media, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or your country's data protection authority for updates.