Tips to prevent oversharing information about your kids online: Watch

People love to share the things they’re proud of on social media, including milestones in their kids' lives. From celebrating the start of another school year to hitting the game-winning home run in a Little League game to a funny or heartwarming anecdote, people are proud of their kids and want to show them off. And, of course, it's easy for most of us to see these posts as we scroll through our social media feeds. But, sometimes, sharing can become oversharing without even realizing it. 

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with sharing sweet stories and pictures of your children online, but you do want to be mindful about who you're sharing the information with. Think of it like this: would you share it with a random person in the grocery store, on the street, or with someone you went to school with decades ago? In many cases, the answer is probably not! Keep reading for tips on how to safely share information when posting online.

Watch this video for some tips on how to keep your children's information safe online. 

Be mindful

One of the easiest ways to keep your kids safe online is to be mindful of the content you’re posting. You might be oversharing details about your child’s life on social media without realizing it. 

Here are a few things to consider when sharing a picture:

• Check the background of the photo. A picture is worth a thousand words! While you might not be geotagging where you live or where your child plays sports, there can be distinguishable details hidden in the pictures you share that can make it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find out personal information. Is your house number or street name visible? Can you see your car's license plate? Is there something recognizable in the background?
• Don’t post personal information. Be cautious about mentioning personal information about where your child spends a lot of time. This includes your child’s school, teacher's name or sports team. Don't forget to check if those details are visible on school uniforms or backpacks!
• Be mindful when sharing your kid’s favorite things. Seemingly harmless details, like your child’s favorite candy or video game can be used improperly in the wrong hands. 
• Ask your child. Once kids reach a certain age, they may not want their pictures shared. Give them the opportunity to say "yay" or "nay" before sharing a picture.

The internet has made it very easy to find out information about other people, whether you realize that information was on the internet or not. So, you might as well make it as hard as possible for people to find out things about you and your child.

By the way, it is possible to remove your personal data from some parts of the internet.

Social media privacy settings

One of the easiest ways to prevent people from learning too much about your kids is by simply not posting them on social media and, instead, sharing stories and pictures directly with your trusted family and friends. 

But, let’s be realistic. We live in the age of sharing our lives on social media. It’s a convenient way to inform a lot of people at once. So, before you hit “Share:" 

• Check your privacy settings. Consider making your page and posts private so only your friends or the people who follow you can see your content. 
• Change the privacy settings on the individual post so only the people you choose to see it can see it.