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

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.