APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Come Thursday, “First Day of School” pictures will start flooding your social media.
While these pictures are a fun way to mark the start of the school year, sometimes they contain information about your child you may not want the public to see.
“I’m proud of him and want to show him to the world,” said Chelsea Munoz, mother of a two-year-old boy.
Munoz’s son isn’t in school quite yet, but she says she’s already taking precaution about posting him on social media.
“It’s scary. There’s a lot out there and it’s very easy to hack,” said Munoz. “Putting your kid out there, it’s risky.”
“Often times people will say to us, ‘Well, I only have my select friends and family on my social media pages.’ But, unfortunately, sometimes it’s somebody that you’re not even considering that could be in your friends list,” said Lieutenant Meghan Cash with the Appleton Police Department.
Lieutenant Cash tells FOX 11 some of that personal information can include talking points for your child, like their favorite color.
“Having that information can be very scary and often times for younger kids, make them feel like this is somebody they know or should know. And that can be a very scary day for any parent.”
In a social media post, Appleton police say they suggest leaving off children’s school name, teacher’s name, age and identifying features if you plan on doing a back-to-school photo.
But, if you’re a proud parent and want to show off your child, you still can. Appleton police suggest simplifying the photos with a first name and what they want to be when they grow up.
