Young people in the child welfare system are subjected to intensive and wide-ranging observation, surveillance and documentation practices that have been facilitated by the expanding use of digital technologies. Drawing on qualitative research, this article examines the pervasiveness of these governmental practices and their impacts on the psychological wellbeing and long-term trajectory of young people. Leveraging a Foucauldian framework, this article theorizes a form of 21st-century 'archival surveillance' and argues that contrary to the intended goal of utilizing documentation to protect children and minimize liability, the child welfare system's overuse and misuse of digital technologies violate children's rights and disproportionally criminalize youth of colour. At the same time, youth appropriate digital technologies in ways that help them survive, connect and resist the inhumane impacts of this archival surveillance.