Experts warn that back-to-school photos on social media pose online safety risk

COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)

As the first day of school quickly approaches for many Mid-Missouri students, it is important to protect your child’s online information.

Sharing back-to-school photos on social media is a popular trend, but it comes with risks. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were more than 36 million reports of online child sexual exploitation worldwide last year. Data from the Department of Justice also shows that one in five children receives unwanted sexual solicitations online each year.

One of the biggest reasons for this is that children are easy targets, especially if there is information about them online. Jennifer Brooks, Safe Kid’s Coordinator at MU Health, said that information, including identifying markers in the background of a photo, can be used to determine a child’s location. She added that details in social media posts should be kept to a minimum.

“Don’t put too much information on there, because once you know their name, what their interests are, what grade they’re in… if someone could take a picture of that, a screenshot of that, that wouldn’t do much. They could probably find your kid,” Brooks said. “If you put your city and state, they know where the school is and what their preferences are. So when they find your kid, they can try to say, ‘Hey, I know I know you a little bit through your parents, I know you like this.’ So the less the better.”

Brooks added that it’s also important to teach young children with smartphones that anything posted online is not private and can always be accessed.

“Kids in high school use Snapchat a lot. I have one (kid) in high school, so they don’t think there’s a way to take Snaps and then share them. So one of the things I think a lot of them think is there are places online where you can share things that aren’t accessible,” Brooks said.

Cyberbullying is also something to keep an eye on throughout the school year, especially with older kids. A 2022 Pew Research Center study found that 46% of teens in the United States had experienced some form of bullying or harassment online. The study found that it’s especially prevalent among teenage girls. Brooks says it’s important for parents to watch for signs that their kids are upset and ask questions

“If they look angry or they really need to get on their phone, ask the question. Have you ever had someone take a video of you or say things about you online and send it to you? Sometimes the kid isn’t even in the video, but middle schoolers and high schoolers start to not like each other for different reasons, because they’re kids,” Brooks said. “Then they make videos about the people they don’t like. So I think it’s important to just ask the question, like, if they say their names, then it becomes a problem and then bring it up in the conversation with the parent.

“Parents don’t talk to each other directly. I think you should talk to the parent of the child who is doing this kind of thing directly. And I think you should talk to the school as well. They usually have their finger on the pulse, as much as they can, as to what’s going on. And you can even ask them what they see.”