Online issues and worries: online reputation

What can affect your online reputation?

Your reputation is what other people think of you based on what you do and say. Online reputation is based on the things you do and say online.

Your online reputation can be influenced by:

• your photos and videos on social media
• your comments or things you've written
• games you've played online
• things you've bought online
• voice searches on your smart devices
• information you've allowed apps and websites to access
• data collected from devices like smartwatches

Why is it so important?

Things you posted or shared years ago could be found and re-shared with your family, friends, school, college, university or employer.

Your online activity also means that adverts can be targeted at you because of your likes, interests and behaviour.

Personal information that's easily accessible online can be used to steal your identity.

Checking your online reputation

You know what you post online, but do you know what others post about you?

Every now and then, search your name (and any other names you use) on Google to see what information comes up. If you have a common name, try searching with other things, like the name of your school, your employer, or where you live.

You can set up Google Alerts on your phone and get an email every time your name appears in a Google search results page.

How to keep yourself safe

Be careful on social media

If your social media accounts are not set to private, anybody can find you and see everything that you share, even total strangers. Turn your settings to private. 

Even when your accounts are private, it doesn't stop friends or followers from sharing your photos, videos, posts and messages with anybody without your permission, by saving the content or taking screenshots.

Find out more information about keeping safe on our social media page. 

Think before you post

If you wouldn't want your family, future employers or strangers around the world seeing something, then it's best not to post it.

• Nasty comments made in anger could be classed as bullying.
• Sharing jokes can get you a lot of likes, but think about what you're sharing. Is it offensive or hateful?
• Nudes sent to someone in private could be posted online without your permission.

Don't post about others without permission

Don't post something about someone else without checking if it's okay first. They might not want people to know, or they might like to share it themselves. 

Get rid of unused accounts

Delete social media accounts you don't use anymore. If an account you often use gets hacked you'll know about it quickly and can do something about it, but if it's an account you never use it might take a while before you realise. Deleting old accounts is also a good way of cleansing your online footprint. Some social media platforms let you deactivate your account. You still have access to your content while deciding if you want to delete it completely.

Check the data your devices collect

Data doesn't just come from social media or websites. Your phone, fitness tracker and smartwatches all collect data about you. All devices are different, so check out their websites online to find out what data is being collected and what it's being used for.

App permissions

When you download an app, the app will ask for permission to use your data, like access to your contacts, messages and photo library. Read carefully and think about what you are sharing. Only install trusted apps that offer an option to protect your privacy. 

Check friends and followers

Check your friends and followers on social media. Do you know and trust everyone? Your content is less likely to be seen and shared without your consent if you do.

Sending nudes

Sending nudes is not only risky (even if you’re sending them to someone you trust in private), it also breaks the law if you are under the age of 18.

What if it's already happened?

Delete content

If you've posted something you don't want someone to see online, delete it. This could stop anyone else from seeing it in the future. This can be done in the settings of a post or in the help section of the settings. To remove nudes that have been shared online, check out our 'Sharing nudes' section for advice. 

Edit content

If you can't delete something, see if you can edit it instead. You might be able to change something you've written or delete parts of the post, like personal details or mean comments.

Remove content from social media

It's not easy to control what someone else shared about you online. If you know them, ask them to delete it. Be calm but assertive, and explain why you want it taken down. You could even send them a link to this page to explain how important your online reputation is.

Report bullying

If someone has posted something mean about you, report what's happened. You can report bullying on the social media platform you are using. Check out our ‘Online bullying’ page for information on how to report. 

Remove links from search engines

Popular search engines can help you to remove links online about you. Fill in a request form to remove personal information on Google or Bing. If you need help to fill in these forms, ask a trusted adult. If you're not sure how to start a conversation with someone, here are some tips. Once you've sent the form, they will decide to remove the link or not.

Advice from other young people aged 12-16

Always be kind to others online, no matter what they have said to you. Spread positivity online and care for others. Don’t do something to others that you wouldn’t want done to yourself.

Think carefully about how your content could be taken. Don’t say or post anything that could aggravate and hurt people, don’t be racist or sexist, don’t make fun of abilities, disabilities or anything else, be kind.

Think before you post. Only share content if it’s appropriate and always make sure you are careful about providing personal details online and if you’re not sure, check with an adult.

Common Sense Education

Check out this film from Common Sense Education to understand more about some of the problems with oversharing on social media.