Most parents have never googled their child’s name. They may think their child is too young to have a digital image. But, 92% of kids in the US have an online presence by the age of 2. Growing up in a digital world, it is important that both parents and kids know what information exists about them online.
Over vacation, I sat down with my kids and googled them. We began by typing their first and last name in the Google search bar. This task would have been quick if they had unique names. Unfortunately, I needed to play around a bit by adding their middle initial or a city. Eventually, I found information about all of them on the internet. Most of the information was from school websites and local newspaper articles.
My kids were not surprised that they had digital images. In fact, one of my kids joked about asking her school for a personal exemption from Data Privacy Month because she must observe it year round. What they had trouble understanding was why anyone would google them. So, we talked about why someone, besides me, might search for their information.
As they grow up, many people will meet their digital image before meeting them face to face. College recruiters, employers, roommates and potential dates will all google them as a way to find out who they are. People will form their initial opinion about them from their online profile. In a world where googling is a verb, my kids will need to learn how to monitor and manage their digital life.
To continue to keep track of online information, we set up a Google Alert for each of them. On the Google Alerts page, I entered their name in the “search query” box and my email. Now, Google will send an alert via email whenever content appears containing these terms.
So one rainy day this summer, sit down together and google their name. This is a great way to begin teaching kids about living online. Parents can show kids how easy it is for anybody to find their information and the importance of building a positive digital image.
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Anne Livingston is the creator of the KidsPrivacy blog. She is writer and speaker with a passion for teaching parents and kids how to manage life online. Every day, she finds inspiration by watching her own three children raise digital pets, masquerade as penguins, or film YouTube videos. To learn more about raising kids in a digital world, check out her blog at www.kidsprivacy.net or follow her on twitter @kidsprivacy.
