How to Ensure Safety with Back-to-School Photos of Kids

• The Better Business Bureau and Law Enforcement are warning against posting back to school photos for safety reasons
• Parents should limit the amount of information shared about their children or even using generic backgrounds
• Be sure to check privacy settings to protect from identity theft and more from cybercriminals

How to Ensure Safety with Back-to-School Photos of Kids

The "dog days of summer" in August in Montana are rapidly starting to see less and less daylight in our morning and evening hours.  Summer is slowly starting to give way to fall and the beginning of photos of kids heading back to school.

via GIPHY

But should you be capturing those special photos and sharing them to your social media pages for everyone to see?  Sure, we want to brag and preserve the memory, but it could also be a serious safety issue for your family.

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Better Business Bureau Says Not So Fast with Your Photo Memories

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) you should be a little more protective of the information that you include with the photo of your child.  Some photos show a child holding a sign with various information like:

• Name
• Age
• Grade
• School attending
• Teacher's name

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That simple information can help scammers to commit identity theft.  Another common reason is passwords.  Many use family member names, birthdays or anniversaries as passwords which can lead to a serious security breach of bank accounts, credit cards and more.

5 Tips to Help Protect Your and Your Children This School Year in Great Falls

There are easy steps that parents (or even just you) can take to help protect from cybercriminals or scammers.

From the BBB:

1. Avoid sharing personal details about your child in the photo or even in the description
2. Use a generic photo background - don't include house numbers, street signs, bus stop locations or familiar landmarks in your photo
3. Check privacy settings to ensure who is viewing your accounts or posts
4. Be aware of phony friend requests - never accept a stranger's request and be mindful of secondary requests from current friends
5. Practice good cybersecurity habits by having multiple passwords