Newsman: Sharing back-to-school photos on social media although seem harmless, privacy and security experts say parents and caregivers need to be aware of the inherent risks of sharing pictures and identifiable information online. Police department of some part of the country including many concerned group have warned against posting photos of back-to-school details online, cautioning that strangers may be able to use that information to not only target children but their families as well.
With the new school year fast approaching — or underway already in some parts of the country — one sheriff’s office in Virginia took to Facebook to share safety guidelines for parents, writing in part, “DON’T OVERSHARE.”
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office shared a Facebook post Tuesday urging parents to share general instead of specific, identifiable information about their children online.
“Back-to-school photos often include personal information such as your child’s name, school, grade, age, and other potentially identifying information — all of which can give bad actors too much information,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “No matter what you’re social media privacy settings may be, the safest option is to keep personal information to a minimum.”
The St. Louis County Police Department also shared in an August 2022 Facebook post examples of the kinds of photos parents can safely post online.
“Remember to stay mindful of the info you post online. Use the sign on the left for social media, and the chalkboard on the right to share pics with close friends and family like Officer Ashley did,” the department wrote in the caption at the time.
The post shows a sign on one side that reads, “First Day of School,” which poses less of a safety risk to families, while the photo of a more detailed sign, with details about a child’s classroom, grade, and favorite items, is reserved for “family and close friends” instead.
