Is your child’s online life helping or hurting their university chances?

By Sandra Steiger, Education Advisor and Daniele Labriola, University Applications Advisor at TutorsPlus

Summer is peak posting season for all of us. The holidays, the late nights out with friends, the funny, silly things we get up to when we’re relaxed and having a good time. They are often moments that bring joy and laughter, and are entirely worth sharing. But it’s also worth asking the question: who am I sharing this with?

For students preparing university applications it’s a particularly relevant question. While many college admissions officers believe looking into applicants’ social media is an invasion of their privacy, others admit they have done it, saying it’s “fair game” to help them make a final decision.

So how can you as a parent take advantage of the downtime this summer to talk with your teen about their digital footprint?

In this article we’ll explore the different ways a social media presence can help or hinder your child’s university application. And Daniele Labriola, University Applications Advisor at TutorsPlus, offers some practical ways you can guide your child to see their online persona in a new light.

DO UNIVERSITIES ACTUALLY LOOK?

You might be wondering, and your teen will probably ask, whether this is really worth worrying about. Unfortunately, Daniele admits that the honest answer is: increasingly, yes.

Research from Kaplan found that around one in three admissions officers have looked at an applicant’s social media profiles, and that number is growing. Among those who did, roughly 38% said what they found improved their impression of the student — but 32% said it made things worse. That is a meaningful risk, and one your teen may simply not be aware of.

Daniele advises his students to remember that, “many universities are considering the person behind the application; it’s not just about pedigree, grades and test scores. To accurately consider whether someone is a good ‘fit’, browsing that person’s online presence, which often serves as an extension of their very identity, can go a long way to do just that.”

WHAT ADMISSIONS OFFICERS ARE LOOKING FOR

When an admissions officer opens a student’s Instagram or LinkedIn, they are not expecting a perfectly curated account. They can tell when it’s insincere. What they are looking for, though, is coherence, a sense that the person on the application is the same person living their life online.

Positive signals include evidence of genuine interests and intellectual curiosity, involvement in community or volunteer activities, creative work or passion projects, and the way your child engages with others in respectful, thoughtful ways, even when they disagree.

What sends them warning signals is predictable enough: offensive language, discriminatory comments, posts that suggest poor judgement, or content that contradicts something in the application itself. Even old posts, long since forgotten by your child, can resurface.

To be clear, universities aren’t looking to catch students out! But they are asking: Does this applicant show leadership, curiosity, and good judgement? Do their values align with ours? Does their online persona match the one described in their application? Social media, when it tells a consistent and positive story, can work really well in your child’s favour.

“Research from Kaplan found that around one in three admissions officers have looked at an applicant’s social media profiles, and that number is growing.”

STARTING THE CONVERSATION AT HOME

While you might feel you’re treading a thin line into their private space, it’s an easier conversation than you might think. And the summer, when deadlines feel distant and the mood is relaxed, is exactly the right time to raise this gently and give some time and space to the topic. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some ways to open the door:

Lead with curiosity, not criticism.

Avoid defensiveness by inviting a conversation. Rather than saying “I’ve been looking at your Instagram and I’m worried,” try “I read something interesting about how universities are checking social media now — did you know that?”

Look together. Suggest to your child:

“Let’s take a look at your public accounts as if we were a stranger seeing them for the first time. What story do they tell about you?” Discuss if there is anything they would feel uncomfortable with a teacher or a future employer seeing. This exercise is remarkably effective, and teenagers often spot the problem themselves once they look through fresh eyes.

Talk about the “dump account” question.

Many students keep a secondary, more private account for unfiltered posting. While this is understandable, remind them that privacy settings are never completely foolproof, and that content shared with even a small group can be screenshotted and spread. The safest approach is still to post as if anyone could see it, even on a more private account.

Frame it as an opportunity, not a clean-up.

Once any problematic content has been removed or hidden, encourage your child to think about what they do want to put out there. A LinkedIn profile that highlights achievements and interests, an Instagram that reflects a genuine passion, or even a blog connected to their intended field of study — these are things that can
actively support an application.

SIMPLE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TOGETHER THIS SUMMER

Drawing on his years of experience as a University Applications Advisor, Daniele recommends the following steps to ensure your teen’s online persona is a positive one

• Google your teen’s name together. See what comes up on the first page. This is what an admissions officer would see.
• Review privacy settings on all platforms, but remind them that private does not mean invisible.
• Help them set up or refresh a LinkedIn profile if they do not already have one. This can be particularly valuable for students applying to competitive or professional programmes.
• Encourage them to follow accounts connected to their academic interests: universities, journals, artists, scientists, conservation programmes, impactful organisations in their field. Engaging thoughtfully with these communities signals initiative.
• Revisit tagged photos and group memberships — content others post about your child can be just as visible as what they post themselves.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The goal here is most definitely not to turn your child into a polished personal brand that to an Admissions Officer actually screams inauthenticity. What you are helping your child develop is something more valuable: a considered relationship with how they present themselves online. That skill will serve them long after the university application is submitted.