COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)
With the first day of school quickly approaching for many students in Mid-Missouri, it’s important to protect your child’s online information.
Sharing back-to-school photos on social media is a popular trend, but it also comes with risks. The Department of Homeland Security said there were more than 36 million reports of online child sexual exploitation worldwide last year. Department of Justice data also shows that one in five children experience unwanted sexual advances online each year.
One of the main reasons for this is that children are easy targets, especially when there is information about them online. Jennifer Brooks, Safe Kids Coordinator at MU Health, said information – including identifying features in the background of a photo – can be used to pinpoint a child’s location. She adds that people should keep details in social media posts to a minimum.
“Don’t give too much information because once you know their name, their interests, and what class they’re in, it wouldn’t do any good if someone could take a picture or screenshot of it. They could probably find your child,” Brooks said. “If you give your city and state, they know where the school is and what they like. So if they find your child, they could try to say, ‘Hey, I kind of know you through your parents, I know you like this.’ The less the better.”
Brooks added that it is also important to teach young children with smartphones that anything posted online is not private and can be accessed at any time.
“Kids in high school use Snapchat a lot. I have a kid in high school. They think there’s no way to take Snaps and then share them. A lot of them think there are places online where you can share things that aren’t accessible,” Brooks said.
Cyberbullying is also something that should be monitored throughout the school year, especially with older children. A 2022 study by the Pew Research Center found that 46% of teens in the United States have experienced some type of bullying or harassment online. The study found that it is especially common among teenage girls. Brooks says it is important for parents to watch for signs that their children are upset and ask questions.
“If they look like they’re upset or need to get on their phone, ask the question. Has anyone ever taken a video of you or said things about you online and sent it to you? Sometimes the kid isn’t even in the video, but middle and high school students start to dislike themselves for various reasons because they’re kids,” Brooks said. “Then they make videos about the people they don’t care about. So I think it’s important to just ask the question, like if they mention their names, then it becomes an issue and then talk to the parents about it.
“Parents don’t talk directly to each other. I think you should talk directly to the parent of the child who is doing these things. And I think you should talk to the school as well. They usually know as best as they can what’s going on. And you can even ask them what they see.”
