Parents and society need to let Gen Z become aware of the impacts of the digital world on their lives and future. At our 7th Annual Parenting Conference, we discussed the importance of digital footprint and how to monitor it; we had this discussion with Mr. Isime Esene, the Managing Editor of Y!Naija, who enlightened us on social media and the ways Gen Z can use them appropriately. Read also Highlights from the 7th Annual Parenting Conference
According to Mr, Isime, digital footprints are archives or recordings of our digital activities. They are the things that we do online especially on social media; including some of the things we share actively and some are gotten passively. Digital footprints are formed essentially from whatever we post on social media; he also stated that these footprints are going to be ever-present. Therefore, advising that either young or old, we should think before we choose to engage in certain online activities.
How to Educate Gen Z
Mr. Isime states that most of Gen Z was born into the digital age; and due to that, they do not know how to act or how not to act online. So we as wards, parents, and even the media need to let Gen Z know that their activities online have positive and negative impacts. These impacts can also have repercussions; like in the case where employers, nowadays, make use of a potential employee’s social media activities to know if they are appropriate for the job. He gave an example of a friend of his who lost two job opportunities due to something he posted on Twitter. Therefore, Gen Z needs to understand that nothing is truly private online; and to be careful about the kind of personal information they share with other people; such as date of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc.
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Things to do to leave a Responsible Digital Footprint
Mr. Isime states there are three(3) things young people do online; and those are to connect, learn, and share. But before they can go on to do these three things, they need to monitor their digital footprint. Here are the ways they can do that:
- Ensure to think before you post
- Just as important as the first, is to think again
- Try to Google yourself from time to time. To know what people see when they check your name online.
- Setup Google Alert. This will ensure you get alerted when anybody says anything about online, so you can engage them actively.
- Protect your personal data; such as your passwords, bank account details, their mother’s maiden name, etc.
- Store your Login details in places that no one has access to except yourself.
- Limiting sharing your personal things online; such as your home address, pictures, etc. Most of these should be saved and not shared.
He ended by stating that whatever we do online affects our personal lives, now and in the future. Also affecting our relationships and professional lives. He also advised Gen Z to be deliberate about the things they do online; to think about it and not to act at the spur of the moment.
You can catch the replay of the LagosMums Parenting Conference stream here on the LagosMums YouTube Channel
