Module 1 · Everything Leaves a Mark

Lily · 8th Grade · Boone, NC

Last year I deleted a comment I regretted. I thought — gone, no big deal. Then someone sent a screenshot of it to half my grade. That's when I realized "delete" doesn't mean what I thought it meant.

What is a Digital Footprint?

Every time you go online, you leave traces. Not just what you post — every search, video, app open, and site visit. This trail is called your digital footprint, and it's bigger than most people realize.

👣 👣 👣 👣 👣 👣

97%

of teens use the internet daily

54%

go online "almost constantly"

∞

Nothing online is ever truly gone

🃏 Activity 1 · Sort It Out

+5 XP each

There are two kinds of digital footprints. Active = things you choose to post. Passive = data collected about you without you really choosing. Tap each card to sort it!

👆 Tap a card to place it in the right bucket

📸 Instagram post

📍 Location tracked by an app

💬 YouTube comment

🔍 Search history

🎮 Username on a gaming platform

⏱ Time spent on each screen

✍️ Active Footprint

Things you chose to put online

👁️ Passive Footprint

Data collected without you choosing

🎉 Nice work! You sorted all 6. Your passive footprint is usually much larger than your active one.

The Delete Myth

When you delete something, the app may remove it from your profile — but it's often still on company servers, in archive snapshots, and in any screenshots already taken. Try it below.

🗑️ Activity 2 · The Delete Demo

+15 XP

YOUR POST · 2 minutes ago

"ugh Mr. Peterson is literally the worst teacher, I can't stand his class 😤"

❤️ 12 💬 3 comments 📤 2 shares

It's "gone" from your profile. But...

📸 2 people already screenshotted it
🌐 It's cached on the Wayback Machine
💾 Instagram's servers still hold a copy
📤 The 2 shares are still up on other feeds
👩‍🏫 Mr. Peterson's daughter saw it and told him

This is why "delete" isn't the same as "gone."

Who Can Actually See This?

It's not just your followers. Tap each person below to find out what they can access.

👁️ Activity 3 · Who's Watching?

+5 XP each

🏫

Future School

Tap to reveal

Colleges & Schools

Admissions staff search applicants. Posts from 8th grade can show up during high school or college applications.

💼

Future Boss

Tap to reveal

Employers

70% of employers research candidates on social media before hiring. That includes summer jobs you'll want in a few years.

📣

Advertisers

Tap to reveal

Ad Companies

Everything you search and click is sold to companies who use it to target you with ads. You are the product.

🏫

Your School

Tap to reveal

School Administration

Schools monitor activity on school networks and devices — and can be alerted to posts involving other students.

😰

Strangers

Tap to reveal

Anyone Online

Public posts can be seen, shared, and screenshotted by anyone — including people you've never met and don't want in your life.

👨‍👩‍👧

Your Parents

Tap to reveal

Family

Parents, relatives, and family friends often see more than you think — especially when their friends tag or share your posts.

Tap all 6 to earn XP →

⚡ Activity 4 · True or False Blitz

+10 XP each · 6 sec each

Correct answers

🎯

⚔️ Boss Challenge

Maya's Old Account

+25 XP

📖 Read This Carefully

Maya made a gaming account in 5th grade. Her username was her real first name + her school's name. She hasn't logged in for two years and forgot it existed. This summer she's applying for a junior volunteer position at the local hospital. The coordinator says they do an online search on all applicants.

What should Maya do RIGHT NOW?

Nothing — it was years ago and nobody cares about old gaming accounts

Ask friends not to mention the account if anyone asks

Google her name + school name to see what comes up, then delete or clean up the old account

Withdraw the application so she doesn't have to worry about it

Module 1 — Key Takeaways