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- Parents often post back to school photos of their kids posing with signs stating information like their grade and teacher.
- Police departments and TikToks warn that this could make kids a target for predators or scammers.
- "It's important when you post online to keep that personal information to a minimum," a police officer told WBAY-TV.
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During back-to-school season, police departments and popular TikToks are warning parents that revealing too much information about their kids in social-media posts could put them at risk for predators and scammers.
Taking photos of children posing with chalkboards or signs stating personal information, like their name, grade, and school, are popular on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but these posts might not come without risks.
Personal information like this could be used by predators to build trust with a child or could be used by scammers to answer security questions, Travis Waas, a Grand Chute Police Department officer told WBAY-TV.
A predator could say: "'I know you! Your favorite color is blue, and you like doughnuts, and your birthday is April 25. I know your mom!' And it builds this false sense of security with this person that really should not be around your child," Waas said.
One TikTok with over 300,000 likes advised parents to avoid posting personal information and instead write something simple on the chalkboard, like "first day of school" instead.
"Some of them have the child's name, teacher's name, school, favorite sports or activities, and maybe you don't want a bunch of strangers knowing that," the TikTok said.
The McHenry County Sheriff's Office in Illinois warned parents in a Facebook post that they should limit personal information shared online, no matter what their privacy settings or friends list looks like.
"Think before you post," they said.