Digital Footprints Are Inherited

Every photo posted online contributes to a digital footprint. For adults, that footprint is self-chosen. For children, it is inherited.

A digital footprint is cumulative. It includes images, videos, tags, captions, and metadata that together form an online record tied to a person’s identity. Once created, this record is difficult, often impossible to erase. Even when posts are deleted, copies may still exist, data may remain in backups, and images may be stored by third parties beyond the original platform.

In many legal frameworks, a face is considered biometric data. It is a unique identifier.

Children grow up with their own sense of privacy and personal boundaries. Some photos that feel harmless to share with family today are not images a child would want resurfacing later. Because children cannot make that distinction for themselves, adults must exercise discernment and foresight on their behalf. We do not yet have long-term data on the effects of growing up with an entire life documented online, due to today’s children being the first generation to experience this at scale.

Digital footprints increasingly affect school admissions, employment screening, and public perception. While a childhood photo may seem harmless now, permanence changes its weight.

At Team Chip, we want our students to inherit opportunity, not exposure. By limiting what we share today, we preserve their access to privacy in the future. Children should not have to manage a digital history they did not choose.