SBPD warns parents about sharing too much info in kids' back-to-school posts
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- It's back-to-school season. Police say it’s important to think about what information we’re posting and educating our kids on how to be safe online.
South Bend Police Department Detective Georgia Wells is a parent and former school resource officer. Wells says, unfortunately, some people wish to do harm online. She says safety starts with a conversation.
"Just have open conversations with your kids. Kids are very smart. They understand a lot more than we think they do. So, just having those will go a long way. About stranger danger, especially for the little ones. About cyberbullying and cyber fraud for the older ones. And learning how to navigate the web and the internet together," said Wells.
When it comes to back-to-school posts, she says to make sure you’re not giving out too much information. Detective Wells says not to put your child's full name, where they go to school, or any private information you wouldn’t want someone to have.
If you are taking a picture at the school, she says to do that in a location that doesn't show the school's name or address.
As a school resource officer, Wells says she saw issues with cybercrimes and child exploitation.
"Now, there’s a scam going around where they'll ask the child or underage kid for an inappropriate picture and use that as blackmail to get them to send them money or do things like that. So, with that coupled with the issue we have with cyberbullying, it's really, really important that parents check in on their kids," said Wells.
Wells says it's more than just asking how their day was.
"Not just ‘how’s your day going’ but really, 'How are you doing?’ 'What happened today that you didn't like?' 'What's going on with your friend group?' Going through the phone and looking at what apps they have, because a lot of these apps give people free access to our children. So as parents, we just want to be mindful of those things and checking in our kids more deeper than we used to," said Wells.