International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 08 | Aug 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
InvisibleTrails: How Digital Footprints Help Reclaim Lost Childhoods Harshita Dept of Computer Applications, DPG Institute of Technology & Management (Affiliated to MDU), Gurugram, India
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Abstract - In today’s world, children spend a lot of time
very useful for police and investigators. By looking at a child’s online activity, location history, or chat logs, officers can sometimes find out where the child went or who they last spoke to.
online—using social media, chatting in games, watching videos, or simply browsing. What many people don’t realize is that these activities leave behind digital traces known as digital footprints. These footprints can help investigators find out where a person was, who they talked to, or what they were doing. In the case of missing children, this information can be extremely helpful for law enforcement to locate them quickly. This research paper focuses on how digital footprints are used in reallife missing children’s investigations, especially in India. It explains how police and cyber experts use tools like OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) and digital forensics to track online activity such as messages, location data, app usage, and social media behavior. Two real case studies have been included to show how children were successfully found with the help of digital evidence. The paper also discusses the challenges in such investigations, like encrypted apps, fake profiles, or deleted data, which make tracking more difficult. It highlights the need for greater awareness among parents, schools, and children about online safety, and suggests ways to build safer digital habits. This research aims to show how technology and cyber investigation, when used wisely, can protect children and bring them home safely. It also encourages better digital practices to prevent such cases in the future.
This research paper talks about how digital footprints can help in finding missing children, with a focus on real cases in India. It also explains how tools like OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) and cyber forensics are used by police. The paper also covers some challenges like data deletion, privacy issues, and fake online identities and gives suggestions for keeping children safe online. The main aim is to show how digital footprints, when used carefully and responsibly, can help save lives and bring missing children back home
Key Words: Digital Footprints, Missing Children, Cybersecurity, OSINT, Child Safety, Digital Forensics, Social Media Investigation, Cybercrime in India
Fig -1: Every moment spent online leaves behind a silent trail.
1.INTRODUCTION In today’s fast-moving digital world, children are growing up surrounded by technology. They use mobile phones, social media, online games, and other apps daily. While these platforms help them stay connected and entertained, they also leave behind a record of their actions — which is called a digital footprint. Every message, photo, location shared, or app used becomes part of this trail.
As children spend more time online, they unknowingly create digital footprints through everyday activities like messaging, watching videos, browsing, or playing games. These actions leave behind data that, when analyzed carefully, can help investigators trace their behavior, location, or online connections if they go missing. What seems like ordinary digital activity can sometimes become the turning point in an investigation
At the same time, the number of missing children cases are also increasing. Some run away, some are lured by strangers online, and some go missing without any clue. In such cases, these digital footprints can become
This research explores how small digital clues, when combined with forensic tools, play a powerful role in real-life missing children’s cases and how understanding these traces can improve child safety.
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