Check Writing Before It Is Shared Online

Publishing your writing to a group website is an exciting milestone — your words can reach readers beyond your home. But every time your work is published, you and your grown-up make a choice about what information becomes permanently visible online. Understanding digital safety, managing your digital footprint, and protecting your own and others’ privacy are essential skills for any writer who shares work in public digital spaces.

What Is a Digital Footprint?

• Your digital footprint is every trace you leave online — posts, comments, photos, usernames, and shared documents.
• Once something is published online, it can be copied, shared, or archived even after you delete it.
• A group site is a public or semi-public space: group leaders, parents, and sometimes the wider internet can view your work.
• Building a positive, safe digital footprint from an early age protects your reputation and your personal safety.

Safe vs Unsafe Information to Share

• Safe to share: your first name only, your grade, your general interests (e.g. "I like science"), your written opinions on non-personal topics, your creative writing or lesson projects.
• Unsafe to share: your full name (first and last name together), your home address, the exact address or schedule of places you go, your phone number, your date of birth, passwords or usernames, family members’ details, photos that show your location or home.
• Even "harmless" details can be combined — first name + club + photo + neighborhood = enough for a stranger to identify and locate you.
• When in doubt, leave it out — and always have a grown-up check your post before it is published.

Privacy Settings and Permissions

• Check the audience setting before publishing: is the group site public (anyone online), restricted (login required), or private (family-only)?
• A "login required" site is safer than a fully public site — but content can still be captured in a screenshot and shared beyond the platform.
• Never include another person's full name, photo, or personal details in your post without their explicit permission.
• If your piece references a real person — even a friend in a positive way — ask them and a grown-up before naming them.
• Images carry hidden metadata (GPS coordinates, device type) — use only parent-approved images, and ask a grown-up to remove the metadata before uploading.

The Pre-Publication Checklist

1. Remove all personal contact details (full name, address, phone, date of birth).
2. Check that no other person is named without their permission.
3. Verify that any image you use does not reveal location, home, or private family details.
4. Confirm the privacy setting of the platform with a grown-up.
5. Re-read your post from a stranger's perspective: could this help someone find or identify you?