Don't post these Back To School photos

My son is going back to school and I will be the first to admit that ONLY only of us will be crying. ME. I am so happy for him, sad for me. But let me get to the main reason I am writing this, as a proud mom I will be posting a cute photo of Jordan on his first day.. like many parents.

You know what I am talking about... like those cutesy photos on IG and FB with chalkboards and letter boards displaying our children's names, schools, and other identifying information.

These posts are fun and obviously well-intentioned and make great memories of back- to- school and first-day- of school— but posting them online has potential dangers that compromises kids safety, and privacy that many parents don't realize. People in general don't realize how much they overshare on social media, so here are some tips to keep in mind when posting:

First day of school chalkboards: If it just says first day, that's not terrible, but don’t have the

School name

Age

Teacher's name and grade

Identifying features (height, weight, etc.)

Overly personal information (think items related to passwords or security question answers, etc.)

Instead, write your child’s name and “ first day of X ”

This information can all be used by predators, scammers, and other people looking to endanger your child, family, or finances. No matter your privacy settings or friends list, its best to keep personal information on the internet to the bare minimum. Of course if you are just sharing this with friends and family in a text, there’s no harm, but if it’s on social media and you don't want a bunch of strangers knowing that information.

Also, when it comes to backpacks that have a child’s name is printed on the back, I would think about putting the name on the inside area. If it’s outside, a predator will then be able to address them directly and use it as a tool to make contact. A child’s guard can drop if a person knows their name, and they could easily forget they’re wearing a personalized backpack as they’re approached.

Other photo details to avoid include uniform logos, names on lunchboxes, house numbers and license plates.

By putting our kid's information out there and sharing it, anyone can pose as somebody's relative, or can pay somebody that may look like that person's culture or identity. These tips are not to scare you, but just to be aware.

In 2020, there were 365,348 reports of missing children in the United States, according to the FBI. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that "based on the identity of the perpetrator, there are three distinct types of kidnapping: kidnapping by a relative of the victims or 'family kidnapping' (49 percent); kidnapping by an acquaintance of the victims or 'acquaintance kidnapping' (27 percent); and kidnapping by a stranger to the victims or 'stranger kidnapping' (24 percent)."