Bad digital footprint could haunt you, teens warned

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Imagine you're set to travel abroad, but denied a visa. Perhaps nothing can be as heartbreaking as that for any teenager with big dreams and aspirations. That, however, isn't far-fetched. It's now mandatory for US embassies and consulates to look up applicants' social media footprints as part of the visa and immigration vetting process.

During this process, applicants are required to provide their social media information from the past five years, and in some cases, adjust their privacy settings to "public" to facilitate review. This means their entire digital footprint is laid bare. Unfortunately, this stringent vetting process has caught many teenagers off guard, as they're often careless with their social media posts, and now face serious consequences.

The new rules are hitting teens hard. Apparently, in-person interviews are now mandatory for almost all ages (even under-14s who were previously exempt), causing major anxiety and travel headaches for parents. This could delay study plans or family visits, and scrutiny is intense, even for students.

According to Isaac Mwesigwa, a computer scientist, the Internet keeps a history of what one posts. “Young people should be cautious about what they post on their social media accounts because it could come back to haunt them several years later. One is often judged by what they post on social media. They should be cautious,” Mwesigwa said.

Meanwhile, Dr Charles Olaro, the Director, Clinical Services at the Ministry of Health, yesterday said “lack of a mechanism to minimise screen time for the children leads them to post inappropriate and at times inadmissible content, and results in attention deficit.

“We are currently seeing many cases of Internet addiction, leading to loss of time that the children cannot compensate for. In some severe cases, children urinate where they are sitting because they cannot make time to go to the loo,” he said.

Olaro noted that such cases result in developmental deficits for the children because they lack time to build social relationships.

“To overcome this, we need to help teens with social media addiction, establish open communication. We should also set clear boundaries, such as screen-free zones, time limits,” he said, adding that parents should also encourage offline activities such as hobbies and sports, as well as promote mindful use, such as recognising negative feelings.

Dr Sabrina Kitaka, a paediatrician, said that children should be supervised by their parents while online so that they don’t stray into adult content.

“Children should be discouraged from using social media platforms before the age of consent, which is 18 years in our country. Parents should include parental locks on certain sites and turn off the house WiFi to allow children to sleep.”

She said that for those who have been cyberbullied or are depressed, they should seek professional assistance.

Vision Group initiated the campaign to equip children with tips on how to use media platforms responsibly. It is also hoped that these conversations will inform policy in addition to engaging parents and guardians to identify and address instances of abuse and misuse of social media platforms.