Forget the paper trail once relied upon by investigators. As the near-continual parade of politicians, celebrities and athletes accused of misbehavior – often long ago – reminds us, it’s the electronic trail that matters these days.

And, in contrast to paper documents that can be shredded or burned, the electronic record never goes away.

Much of the case against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is in the form of old emails, text messages and the like. It needs to be noted that none of them provide any real evidence. They show only that someone told someone else something about Kavanaugh in the past. Whether it was true or not remains in question.

But what people say electronically, through tweets, social media posts, text messages and a variety of other communications, can be used against them in important ways.

More than a few teenagers – quite possibly, some right here in our area – have learned that to their enormous dismay. Some found themselves embroiled in the juvenile justice system as a result of electronic threats, often with no intent of carrying them out, to place bombs in schools.

Using the internet to harass others also is serious, sometimes criminal business. Whether they understand it or not, the perpetrators can be tracked down.

Even one’s personal opinions can cause trouble, if they are deemed to be socially unacceptable. As The Associated Press reported this week, 10 applicants for coveted spots as Harvard University students learned that last year. They were offered admission – but the invitations were withdrawn after the university checked their Facebook posts and found opinions deemed unacceptable. Many college admissions officers – as well as potential employers – have begun checking applicants’ social media activity.

Being careful what you send out into the wide electronic world seems intuitive to many people. But, to judge by the number of them – especially teenagers – who haven’t gotten that message, lots of people continue setting themselves up for hard falls.

Parents, grandparents and others worried about safeguarding youngsters against all the evils of the world always have had plenty about which to warn children. High on the list these days needs to be the fact that computers and smart phones can be one’s worst enemies.