Proud parents often partake in social media trends, including back-to-school photos marking their student’s transition into the next grade level.
But Illinois law enforcement officials are warning that the trend could come with dire consequences.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office warned parents to be mindful of the information they’re giving out when they post back-to-school pictures, particularly ones of children holding up signs that include their name, grade level, school, teachers, identifying physical features (height, weight, etc.) and more. The sheriff’s office said those are details to never share, and posted side-by-side photos of one of its deputies to indicate the correct and incorrect ways to share back-to-school pictures.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office states:
“Back to school photos are filling social media feeds everywhere, often revealing personal information about your child. This information - school name, classroom, grade, age, etc. - can all be used by predators, scammers, and other people looking to endanger your child, family, or finances.
“No matter your privacy settings or friends list, its best to keep personal information on the internet to the bare minimum.”
Since sharing the information last month, thousands of Facebook users have reacted to the post. That includes more than 800 comments and more than 69,000 shares as of publication on Thursday (September 9). See the post here: