DIGITAL FOOTPRINT EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR PARENTS

YOUR CHILD'S DIGITAL IDENTITY IS SHAPED BY YOUR FINGERSTIPS: EFFECTIVENESS OF A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR PARENTS

In today's digitalized world, children conduct a significant portion of their learning experiences through online environments. However, a lack of digital awareness among parents can adversely affect both children's privacy and their educational development. To address this issue, this study aims to support children's development within a conscious, safe, and ethical digital learning environment by educating parents on digital footprints, online safety, and responsible sharing. Children, who are not yet capable of constructing their own digital identities, have their virtual personas shaped at an early age by their parents' online behavior. This unmonitored digital exposure can compromise a child's sense of privacy and negatively impact their self-development, self-esteem, and social identity formation. Prioritizing the best interests of the child, this project introduces a parent education program designed to empower families in digital literacy and establish an indirect protective framework throughout the educational process.

Digital footprints represent the permanent traces that individuals leave behind in online environments, either consciously or unconsciously. Today, social media stands out as one of the platforms where these footprints are most intensively generated. As one of the most active user groups on social media, parents frequently share photos, videos, and personal information about their children, directly impacting their privacy, digital safety, and psychosocial development. Furthermore, this behavior creates a negative role model, leading children to adopt unconscious digital habits from their parents. This unmonitored exposure increases the likelihood of children facing risks such as abuse, cyberbullying, and labeling in digital spaces, thereby threatening their psychosocial safety within school and learning environments.At this juncture, enhancing parents' digital awareness is critically important for both ensuring children's online safety and safeguarding their healthy development throughout the educational process. Designed within this framework, this project introduces a parent education program that prioritizes the best interests of the child, empowers families in digital literacy, and serves as an indirect protective shield in the educational process. In this regard, the study closely aligns with children's academic and psychosocial development goals by both contributing to family education and enhancing the safety of educational environments. The "Digital Footprint Education Program," developed within this scope, aims to raise parents' awareness regarding social media and online sharing practices, while enabling them to cultivate attitudes that protect their children's digital identity and privacy.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being the parent of a child enrolled in kindergarten,
• The parent uses social media
• The parent uses WhatsApp
• The parent is literate
• The parent can speak and understand Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

• The parent has a diagnosed psychiatric or mental disorder.