Many parents enjoy sharing significant moments in their children’s lives on social media, celebrating events like the first day of school, a sports victory, or a touching story. It’s natural to want to showcase your child’s achievements. However, sharing can sometimes become oversharing without you even noticing.

While sharing adorable moments and photos of your kids is perfectly fine, it’s important to consider who you’re sharing these details with. Reflect on this: would you disclose this information to a stranger at the store or an old classmate? Often, the answer would likely be no! Continue reading for helpful tips on how to share safely online.

Stay Cautious

A straightforward way to protect your kids online is to be aware of what you post. You may inadvertently be sharing more than intended.

Here are some factors to think about when you post photos:

• Inspect the background of your photos. Pictures can reveal much! Even if you’re not tagging your location, identifiable details in your images might expose personal data. Is your house number visible? Can someone see your car’s license plate? Are there recognizable landmarks in the background?
• Avoid sharing personal details. Be careful not to disclose information about your child’s regular activities, like their school, teacher’s name, or sports teams. Remember to check if any of this information is on backpacks or uniforms!
• Be careful with your child’s interests. Innocuous details like their favorite snack or game can be misused if they fall into the wrong hands.
• Consult your child. Once children are old enough, they might prefer not to have their images posted online. Make sure to ask for their input before posting any pictures.

The internet makes it easy for others to uncover information about you and your family, sometimes without you even knowing it exists online. Therefore, it is wise to take precautions to shield personal details about you and your children.

Additionally, there are ways to remove some of your personal information from certain online platforms.

Privacy Settings on Social Media

One effective approach to protecting your kids’ privacy is to avoid posting about them publicly on social media and instead share updates with trusted family and friends.

However, let’s be honest. We live in a social media age where sharing our daily lives is common and easy. Before you click “Share,” here are some tips:

• Review your privacy settings. It might be beneficial to keep your profile and posts private so that only your friends or followers can view your content.
• Adjust the privacy settings for each post so only selected people can access them.