Building a Positive Digital Footprint

Question: How does my current online behavior affect my future? What should I improve in using social media? 

Answer: Your behavior online is so important and can impact your future in a variety of ways! For example, your online behavior can shape: 

• Your digital footprint, which includes what other people and marketers know about you 
• What is recommended to you on social media algorithms 
• What advertisements you see 
• What future employers might learn about you  

Therefore, it’s smart to generally be mindful of how you are interacting, posting, and consuming content online. It’s important to note that a lot of teens your age feel an immense pressure to be perfect when it comes to their online persona or try to “storycraft” themselves online. Instead of trying to be perfect, we encourage teens to be their authentic selves and make sure your online behavior is reflective of you, your values, and goals.  

If you are looking to make changes to your online behavior, one aspect that you can take control of is your digital footprint. Digital footprint refers to all the information about you online that is posted by you or by others, intentionally or unintentionally. Your digital footprint consists of many things, such as data you leave behind when you visit websites, searches you make, online purchases, or even background tracking information gathered by apps and platforms. It even includes metrics of social media engagement like posting, commenting, liking, sharing, and any internet searches.  

If you want to manage or refresh your digital footprint, there are a few strategies you can take advantage of. You can limit or delete data that web browsers or platforms have about you. Or try other strategies such as deactivating and deleting old social media accounts or email addresses, cleaning up Google’s records of you, or minimizing your future footprint by using private browsing or limiting sign ins. To learn more about the power of your digital footprint, check out Common Sense Media’s lessons on how your digital footprint shapes your future.    

Applying to School & Work 

One area for concern around a young person’s digital footprint that comes up frequently is when it comes time to apply to colleges, universities, or jobs. For the most part, college admissions officers are not actively searching for or looking at applicants' social media platforms. A recent survey found that while 67% of college admissions officers consider it acceptable to check an applicant’s social media accounts, only 28% say they have actually done it. Additionally, colleges rarely reject students' applications because of their social media, but it can happen, especially if there are red flags that arise, such as content or behavior that is unethical or illegal. Most importantly, colleges aren’t looking for perfection in an applicant; they are looking for authenticity and your character in your application.  

Your digital footprint could also impact future job opportunities. A 2023 survey from Career Builder found that 70% of employers use social media to help make hiring decisions about applicants. An experimental study showed that content on a person’s social media profile significantly influences the perception of one’s professional competence and organizational fit when viewed by managers and human resource specialists during the hiring process. 

Tips for Teens - You define who you are! 

• Keep your profiles private and don’t share personal information. 
• Self-audit your social media periodically and remove posts that don’t align with your current values. 
• Manage or refresh your digital footprint using the strategies and resources linked to above. 
• Talk to your parents or a trusted adult about sharing information online or your online behaviors. 
• Treat people online like you would your offline peers. 
• Identify your values and character, put those into practice online and offline. 
• Understand how your unique qualities might lead to being targeted by ads. For example, if you love sports, you might get sports betting apps. If you interact with beauty content, you will probably get ads for cosmetics or fitness products.  
• Review this previous portal response on Social Media's Impact on College Admissions. 
• Most importantly, be yourself! 

References 

• CareerBuilder. (n.d.). 70% of employers use social networking sites to research candidates during hiring process.   
• Kaplan. (2024, January 30). Kaplan survey: College admissions officers think it’s OK to visit applicants’ social media, but most don’t. Kaplan.   
• Kaplan Test Prep. (2020, May 3). College admissions: The complete guide to social media. Kaplan Test Prep.  
• Türker, N., & Üngüren, E.. (2025). Digital footprints and recruitment: an experimental study on the impact of social media content on hiring decisions. Frontiers in Psychology, 16.   

Age: 10-24 

Topics: Youth, teens, digital footprint, social media, online behavior 

Role: Youth