All across Amarillo, it’s almost time for kids to go back to school. Every year, our social media feeds are filled to the brim with photos of sentimental parents celebrating their “baby’s” first day of school. When you take these photos, there’s one thing you shouldn’t do, and that goes a long way to keeping your child safe.
What not to do this year when taking your child’s back-to-school photo
There’s a trend on social media that didn’t exist when I was a kid. My mom would take pictures of my brother and I in our back-to-school outfits with a disposable camera or the giant camera she’d had forever. There were no filters or cute poses. It was just my brother and I making weird faces or looking in opposite directions.
Sorry, mom.
Now parents have their children hold up boards with their name, the name of the school, the grade, the teacher’s name, and other fun information. You have to remember that this fun information is personal information about your child that many people will have access to once it is posted online. Don’t put all this information about your child online for the whole world to see. Use your parental “spider sense” and you can imagine all the horrible ways someone could use this information.
What to do if you take your child’s first day of school photo with you?
Don’t worry, mom. You’ll still get your incredibly cute photo with your child’s date, age, school, teacher’s name, etc. But before you post it online, you’ll want to do a little editing.
The Potter County Sheriff’s Office has released a great idea that is very simple. Take two photos. One of them shows your child’s complete record. The other removes all personal information and posts the photo online on social media. This way, your child’s information is safe and you get all the leverage you have as a mother that comes with the first day of school.
It’s crazy how much we have to think about these days when it comes to our children’s safety. This year, take a little extra time and don’t post all of your child’s information online.
