CurriculumGrades 3-5Computer Science

Digital footprint, passwords, and safe sharing

Aligned to ISTE — CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards.

What this lesson teaches

Everything you post or share online can stick around and be seen by others, sometimes for a long time. That trail is your digital footprint. Strong passwords (and never reusing them) keep your accounts safe, and thinking before you share photos or facts protects you and other people. A good test is: would I be okay if a grandparent and a stranger both saw this?

Worked example

Before posting a funny photo of a friend, you pause and ask if they would be okay with everyone seeing it. You also make a long passphrase like purple-tiger-rides-bikes, which is hard to guess but easy for you to remember.

Practice questions

  1. What is a digital footprint?
  2. Why should you not reuse the same password everywhere?
  3. Use the grandparent-and-stranger test on something you might post: would you still share it?

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

▶ Watch this lesson

En español

Huella digital, contraseñas y compartir de forma segura

Todo lo que publicas o compartes en línea puede quedarse ahí y ser visto por otras personas, a veces durante mucho tiempo. Ese rastro es tu huella digital. Las contraseñas seguras (y no reutilizarlas) mantienen tus cuentas protegidas, y pensar antes de compartir fotos o datos personales te protege a ti y a otras personas. Una buena prueba es: ¿me sentiría bien si tanto mi abuelita como un desconocido vieran esto?

Ejemplo: Antes de publicar una foto graciosa de un amigo, te detienes y te preguntas si estaría bien con que todos la vean. También creas una frase de contraseña larga como tigre-morado-anda-en-bici, que es difícil de adivinar pero fácil de recordar para ti.

More Digital Citizenship lessons

Keyboarding and productivity toolsISTE

Teach this lesson today

An AI tutor that guides with questions instead of just giving answers — all K–12 core subjects, every child in the family.

Start free — no card required