You add to your footprint when you post. You add to it when you visit a website. You add to it when you sign up for an app. Your digital footprint is all of the information about you that can be found online. Once something is posted online, it can be impossible to remove completely.

Do not post details like your address or your schedule. A photo or video you share can show where you live or go to school. Photos of you are personal information too. Before you hit send or post, think about how someone else will feel. Some apps can see where you are, so check each app's location setting.

Privacy settings let you choose who can see your profile and posts. Most apps and games have them. You can make an account private. You can turn off location sharing. Apps and games often ask for your name, birthday or email address, so ask a grown-up before you fill them in. Here is a good rule for posting. If you would not want your grandmother to see it, do not post it.

Cyberbullying means using technology to harass, threaten or embarrass someone. If someone is unkind to you online, the first step is to tell an adult you trust. If you get mean messages, you can block the sender. You can report mean or cruel posts to the website, and it may block the person who posted them.

A strong password is long, random and different for each account. A passphrase is a password made of several unrelated words. Use a different password for each account. Then one stolen password cannot open everything. A password manager makes and stores your passwords. It fills them in, too. You only have to remember one strong one.

Phishing is when criminals try to get you to open links, emails or attachments. These ask for your personal information. A message that pushes you to act right away is a sign of phishing. If you think a message might be a scam, do not click or open anything in it. Stop and think first.

Be kind online. Do not be mean. If a message is mean to you, do not answer it. Tell a trusted adult. If something online makes you feel sad, scared or confused, tell a trusted grown-up. Telling a grown-up about something that worried you online is the right thing to do. You should not be in trouble for telling.

Words to know

• footprint: trail you leave
• cyberbullying: unkind acts online
• passphrase: password of words

The short version

Staying safe online means keeping private details private and thinking before you post. Everything you post, visit or sign up for adds to your digital footprint, and once something is posted it can be impossible to remove completely. Use privacy settings and tell a trusted adult if something online makes you feel sad, scared or confused.

Quick facts

• Your digital footprint is all of the information about you that can be found online.
• Once something is posted online it can be impossible to remove completely.
• Privacy settings let you choose who can see your profile and posts.
• If someone is unkind to you online, the first step is to tell an adult you trust.
• A strong password is long, random and different for each account.