Building a Safe Digital Identity for Your Child

When I wrote and spoke about digital identity years ago, most parents thought of it as something abstract—something only adults needed to worry about. In 2025, that world is gone. Today, every child has a digital identity before they can walk, talk, or write their own name. Photos, search habits, school records, browsing behaviour, voice data from smart speakers, and even baby monitor footage can contribute to a permanent online identity. This is why building a safe digital identity for your child.

In Privacy Is Possible, I argue that your online identity isn’t just a collection of data points—it’s a narrative constructed by companies that have never met you, yet claim to understand you better than your own family

If that is true for adults, imagine what it means for children.

Children Don’t Just Have Digital Identities—They Inherit Them

Many children’s digital identities begin with parental oversharing:

• Birth announcements

• Daily photos

• School updates

• Family trips

• Cute or embarrassing moments

• Sports team photos

• Health struggles and personal milestones

Each post becomes part of the child’s permanent record—searchable, traceable, and analysable by algorithms.

By the time a child reaches age 13, they often have thousands of online images and dozens of data profiles created by third parties. Most parents never intended this, but digital identity builds itself through everyday actions.

Why Digital Identity Matters

Schools now use AI to predict academic performance. Social media uses profile data to determine what content children see. Advertisers build psychological profiles based on habits and emotional responses. Even insurance companies assess digital footprints when calculating risk.

This isn’t fearmongering—this is documented policy.

Your child’s digital identity may affect:

• Future job opportunities

• University admissions

• Creditworthiness

• Insurance rates

• Online safety

• Emotional wellbeing

• Social belonging

Children are uniquely vulnerable because they cannot consent to the shaping of their future digital selves. This is why building a safe digital identity for your child is a crucial step for every parent now.

What Parents Can Do Today

1. Take control of your family’s digital narrative.
Audit your social media. Remove old posts. Tighten your privacy settings.

2. Create intentional digital boundaries.
Decide what family moments stay offline.

3. Educate your children about long-term consequences.
Teach them that online actions have permanent weight—even when platforms promise deletion.

4. Minimise exposure on school platforms.
Request transparency from ed-tech providers about data usage and storage.

5. Limit biometric and voice data.
Disable always-on microphones where possible.

6. Think twice before posting anything with:

• Location information

• School logos

• Full names

• Medical details

• Close-up facial features

Your family deserves control over its digital identity—not the algorithms. This is why building a safe digital identity for your child before they become an adult is critical.

Academic Reference

Stoilova, M., Livingstone, S., & Nandagiri, R. (2021). Children’s data and privacy online: Growing up in a digital age. Information, Communication & Society.

Amazon Book Recommendation

📚 “Raising a Screen-Smart Kid” by Julianna Miner
A highly practical, relatable book for parents navigating digital childhood in America. I am 44 and the parent of an 11-year-old and 8 8-year-old. Obviously, my childhood did not include technology, so I found myself in uncharted territory when it came to navigating this generation’s incessant phone use and the ever-present role of technology in my children’s lives. This book has been a lifesaver. Thoughtfully written and research-based, the book has provided me with a road map and some best practices regarding technology use. Most importantly has helped to ease my anxiety surrounding technology and the effects on the lives of my children. I highly recommend this guide for anyone who is feeling as lost and overwhelmed as I did when it comes to children and their screens.