JENKS, Okla. — Each year as school starts back, parents head to social media to post photos of their kids in their new clothes and backpacks, but police are warning parents to be cautious about what else might be in those photos.
Why is that important? Jenks Police said that photo you post of your child could wind up in the hands of a predator.
“We want to be part of the festivities of going back to school and everything but however, we want to be cognizant of the amount of information we put out there. This is going out on social media, Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat,” said Officer Josh Semke.
Officer Semke said predators look for these types of posts and can target your children using information in the picture.
“Just remember whatever information you do put out there about your children, predators and stuff, they also see this on social media and they can use that information for bad intentions,” said Semke.
He said there’s nothing wrong with posting back to school photos. But be smart about what’s on social media. For instance, don’t include kids last names, their school’s name, or teacher’s name.
“Some other options you can put on your back-to-school board is basically some, what is the profession they’d like to do in the future, and also what are their hobbies and likes and dislikes and stuff like that. But as far as pertinent information regarding their identity, you know like I said, first name basis only and try to refrain from where they go to school,” said Semke.
Semke said photos can also reveal information you don’t want a potential predator to see.
“When you’re taking these pictures try to refrain from getting your address in the background, especially if you’re taking pictures in the driveway. An address in the background or maybe a car that you use, you know use like an open field or something to the aspect of something that’s not identifying in the background of who your children are, or where they live or what neighborhood you live in,” said Semke.
He said back-to-school photos that reveal identifying information can end up in the wrong hands without you even knowing. So to be safe, he suggests if you want to post the pictures, just share them with people you trust like friends and family, not with everyone.
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