CHARLOTTE — It’s normal for parents to be excited for major milestones in their child’s lives like the first day of school, but be careful with how much information you’re sharing online.
As students return to the classroom, you’ll likely see the online trend known as “sharenting.”
Parents like Daytron Register and his daughter, Shannon, are soaking up the final days of summer break. Shannon says she’s ready for her morning routine.
“Get up, brush your teeth, get some breakfast and get ready for school,” Shannon told Channel 9′s Erika Jackson.
And Daytron plans to document the new school year.
“The first day of school, nice hair done, nice shoes, nice clothes, uniform,” he said.
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For so many families, those “First Day of School” photos are a tradition. A lot of parents will include a sign with their child’s name, school, and teacher.
But sharing that picture on social media could mean sharing your child’s information with criminals.
“Some of those, they’re just putting too much detail, too much information on the form,” said Pineville Police Department Sgt. Josh Harb.
Harb says the little details in those photos could end up in the wrong hands.
“It’s giving out information about your child, which we all know there’s predators out there, and then the Better Business Bureau warns about that for scams and things like that,” Harb told Jackson.
He points to the trend of “sharenting” but he believes oversharing goes far beyond social media.
“A lot of families do the stick figures on the back of the cars. That’s just giving out information that you don’t need to go give out,” Harb said. “It’s letting the bad guy know that there’s a mom, there’s a dad, and three kids.”
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Daytron told Jackson he’s careful with what he publicly shares about his kids, and he hopes other parents do the same.
“As long as you’re taking the safety precautions to make sure your child is safe, then it shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
(VIDEO: School districts crack down on cellphone usage in classrooms)
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