Parents might want to think twice before posting a back-to-school picture of their child online, especially a style that gained popularity recently with children holding a blackboard that includes a few personal notes, police said.
The popular board (pictured) often contains a little too much personal information that a predator could take advantage of, like your child's name, their teacher and their favorite hobbies, said Cpl. Jessica Van with the Gainesville Police Department.
"At this point [predators] are able to access information that could possibly endanger the children," said Van.
Parents, therefore, are encouraged to either keep these photos off of social media, or make sure their accounts are private, meaning only certain users will be able to see the pictures.
The former choice would be more desirable, said Van.
"Keep in mind, when you look at child predators ... most of the time the sexual assault [perpetrators] are known to the victims," said Van.
"It's okay to blur out information like your child's name, they're classroom, something like that."
All it could take, according to law enforcement, is a predator who knows your child's name, where they got to school and which classroom they're in — plus a fake photo identification — and there could be trouble.
Many schools take measures to combat these issues, but if parents can keep the information out of the wrong hands in the first place, it makes it much more difficult for criminals.
"Keeping private information private is the key," said Van.
