SAN ANTONIO – Taking photos on the first day of school is a time-honored tradition for many families spanning decades. However, as technology becomes a greater part of our lives, experts are warning about who you choose to share those photos with.
In a Facebook post, the San Antonio Police Department said posting popular “whiteboard” photos with information about a child to social media could inadvertently put a target on their back for criminals.
“We don’t want to tell strangers where our child is going to be spending the majority of their time,” SAPD spokesperson Camelia Juarez said.
SAPD said photos showing what school your child attends, who their teacher is or where their bus stop is can help a stranger know where your child is for five days a week during the school year.
Child Rescue Coalition CEO Greg Schiller said even a photo with your home in the background can be enough for a stranger to find your child.
“Even if the house number isn’t visible, somebody could take a photo of that, do a reverse Google image search, and then they get your address,” Schiller said.
SAPD said even “getting to know you” details on first-day signs, such as your favorite color, favorite pet or favorite food, could be used by strangers to build false trust with a child.
“A child could think, ‘Well, they know me,’ or ‘They know my family,’” Juarez said. “We don’t want to give strangers little nuggets of information that could build trust with your child.”
What’s the risk
While SAPD said it would not speculate about potential crimes that could be committed by people with information found in these photos, Schiller said it could be used to help lure a child for sex crimes.
“Anytime we’re putting information about our children into the ether and the public social sphere,” Schiller said, “it’s dangerous.”
Child Rescue Coalition is a nonprofit that builds technology for law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute those who sexually abuse children. Schiller said the organization collects 30 to 50 million reports of child sexual abuse material being shared online every single day.
“We deal with these things every single day,” Schiller said. “I think parents think it’s never gonna be my kid. Well, let’s take the precautions necessary to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
What NOT to share
The San Antonio Police Department encouraged parents to leave the following information out of social media posts:
- Full name
- School
- Teacher’s name
- Height
- Date of birth/age
Schiller also said to consider whether the photo reveals other information, such as what the outside of your home looks like (which can inadvertently give away your house number or street name) or where your child’s bus stop is located.
“If you want to share a picture of your child, that’s going to be up to you if you feel that safe. But maybe that’s the limit as far as you go,” Schiller said. “I know it might sound like fear-mongering. Trust me, it’s not. Because there are millions and millions and millions of predators out on the internet.”
My account is “private.” Doesn’t that mean I’m protected?
Many parents assume a private social media account keeps their posts safe. Schiller said that’s not a reliable protection.
“Anything you post online, whether you think it’s in a private group or a private setting, you have to imagine the whole world can see it,” he said. “You could have one friend who reshares or reposts that image, and then someone they don’t know gets to see it.”
Schiller added that the growth of artificial intelligence means the risk of child exploitation is much greater than even a few years ago.
“I think one thing a lot of people don’t realize,” Schiller said, “is that if you have the image of a child, you could very easily, using a number of AI technologies, create a sexualized image of that child.”
Schiller said these AI-generated images could make predators more interested in your child or other children that look like the one in the photos, and can even be used as blackmail in sextortion cases.
“These things actually do happen in real life,” Schiller said. “Just because you live somewhere in Texas doesn’t mean a predator somewhere in Europe or Asia or South America — or even right next door — isn’t looking for your child because they see them online.”
So what can I post?
Neither SAPD nor Schiller said that parents should not celebrate the first day of school. Instead, they are encouraging you to reflect on how much you share those celebrations with the internet.
SAPD recommends shooting photos that will be shared on the internet against a plain wall or neutral background to avoid revealing a street, school or neighborhood.
Additionally, instead of posting photos with the popular whiteboards to display information about the upcoming school year, SAPD recommends posting images that showcase their first day of school outfit or their new backpack.
“We want people to share the memories,” Juarez said. “We just don’t want them to share the personal information.”
Schiller said parents who want to share a photo can consider showing only the back of their child’s head, or placing a heart or image over the child’s face to protect them from the threat of artificial intelligence.
“Everybody in your social circle knows who your kid is,” he said. “We don’t need to say where our child goes to school. We don’t need to say what town our child lives in. We don’t need to say what grade they’re in — because it’s pretty obvious to everyone you know.”
Share your photos on KSAT Connect
Now that you know how you can safely post photos celebrating the new school year, you are invited to consider sharing them with us on KSAT Connect for a chance to be featured on air and on our website! Here’s how to do so:
- Open the KSAT app, Weather Authority app, or visit the KSAT Connect web page.
- Sign in or sign up for a free KSAT Insider account by clicking the orange button with the text “Log in to Upload a Pin.”
- Once you’re signed in, you’ll click the orange button that now reads “Upload a Pin.”
- Click the blue button at the top to choose the photo or video you’d like to share.
- Select “School” as the channel and “Back to School” as your category.
- Tell us about your photo or video by including a description.
- The last step is to click the orange button at the bottom to upload.
Just remember to be careful about how much information you share!
Head back to school with GMSA! Watch weekdays 5-7 a.m. on KSAT 12 and KSAT Plus, and read more of our coverage below: