Whenever the time rolls around for people to retire from vacation and head back to class, it feels like our social media feeds are spammed with back-to-school posts. Whether it's college students sharing their excitement about the upcoming semester or proud parents celebrating their kids’ new grades, it’s a trending topic.

These cliché posts can be more than just annoying, though. They pose a huge threat to security that many people don’t know about. Participating in these traditional fads has dangerous consequences if you are not careful.

Learning more about these risks can help you avoid them. Keep reading to discover them.

Why Do People Share Back-to-School Posts?

Photo of Schoolkids next to each other

If there are potential dangers, why do people bother making these posts? Technically, this is the question you may ask about any social media posts. Every time you post something on the internet, you run the risk of it falling into the hands of a stranger. Yes, this is even the case if your accounts are private and strictly monitored.

The chances that someone does something malicious with your posts are pretty low. Many users are either unaware of potential risks or just find them so minimal that they are irrelevant—so long as they don’t post anything too ridiculous like photos of their bank details.

Social media exists so we can connect and communicate with other people. It’s the perfect platform for people to post these kinds of things, whether the intention is to share their accomplishments or digitally save moments for memories.

However, the world doesn’t need to know about some things. And unfortunately, many back-to-school pictures pose a huge problem.

Are Back-to-School Pictures Bad?

Posting about your schooling adventures is not bad in and of itself. However, it can pose security concerns. Many of us don’t see schooling activity as a private matter, but in some ways, it is. You can learn a lot about a person from these back-to-school posts, so it’s incredibly dangerous if we talk about child safety.

How Are Back-to-School Posts Dangerous?

The posts themselves are not the problem; it’s the extra details and captions that lead to more issues. People tend to post a lot of information in their pictures without even realizing it, especially for young kids.

An adult sharing what college they got into is one thing. However, a parent sharing details of where their young children go to daycare or elementary school is another. When you post about these kinds of things and include details about kids' full names or the grade they are in, you open the door for some scary possibilities.

There are malicious people out there who do horrible things. Let’s say one of them gets a hold of where your child goes to school—the child may not know any better than to fall right into a trap.

If someone shows up to your child’s school one day and requests your child by age and name, claiming to know you, they can simply pretend to be a family member or close friend. It’s easy to trust someone who seems to know so much.

While you shouldn't live in fear of these kinds of things happening, they occur enough that you should refrain from sharing sensitive details. This advice is something people should follow all of the time, but there is a reason why it’s even more dangerous during back-to-school season.

People with malicious intentions know that this is the time of year to keep an eye out for potential victims. Luckily, you can take action to keep your posts secure.

How to Keep Your Back-to-School Posts Secure

Photo of a child learning at school

There are a few things you can do to keep your posts as safe as possible and reduce the chance of exploitation. These helpful guidelines apply to all of your social media posts, and should be taken into consideration year-round—not just during back-to-school time.

Minimize What You Post About Your Children Online

If you want to post, keep the information as simple as possible. Having kids hold boards with their ages, schools, and grades makes for a cute photoshoot—but it also acts as a kidnapper’s cheat sheet.

Keep captions vague and never give too much away. Remember: you don’t have to post every picture you want to have. If you like those boards, either black the information out in a post or keep those details for yourself and close family; most apps won't alert you if someone saves or screenshots your posts.

Remember Hidden Messages

Even without the boards mentioned above, you can learn a lot about a situation based on hidden giveaways in the pictures themselves. For example, you may not post the name of your child—but if they wear personalized clothing with their names on it or show backpacks with their initials engraved, you unknowingly passed this information along anyway.

Be sure to remember that many school uniforms have school logos or names printed right into sweaters or polos. Make sure you're careful when posting images of your in their outfits.

Share Your Posts Privately

Even when sharing basic pictures, it’s a good idea to keep them in a small social circle. While this doesn’t mean you completely prevent strangers from seeing your posts, keeping your accounts private helps a lot.

Delete Your Old Posts

They say that once something is on the internet, it is on there forever. While there is a lot of truth to this, it still doesn’t hurt to delete any past pictures that may tell too much.

Related: Are Your Online Posts Really Permanent?

Once a photo is off your profile, it’s difficult and unlikely for someone to find the post again—unless someone else had already saved and shared before you deleted it.

Teach Stranger Danger to Your Children

Always talk to children about stranger danger and internet safety. Explain to them they should never trust strangers and that they should always verify who that person is before going near them.

Should I Refrain From Celebrating School Online?

You are free to post whatever you want on your personal page; just make sure you stay safe. Always follow basic internet security and keep personal details to a minimum on any online post, even if you think your accounts are private. Practicing internet safety helps you enjoy all the wonders social media has to offer without putting you or your loved ones at risk.