KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Share your story idea with Marlon.
As more students head back to school this week, many families are keeping a beloved tradition alive — snapping first-day-of-school photos, sometimes complete with chalkboard signs marking the grade and year.
But police say those posts, when shared online, could give predators more information than you realize.
"The more information that these guys have that's creeping online, the better access they have to your child or to you or to your home," said Overland Park Officer John Lacy.
For Shawnee mom Emily Brownlee, back-to-school pictures have always been a way to capture memories and keep faraway friends and relatives updated.
"It was to make sure that I keep up with friends and family that don’t live in town can see what my kids are up to,” said Brownlee.
Recently, she’s changed how she shares those moments. She’s learned about emerging threats — from predators using artificial intelligence to alter pictures.
“The biggest thing is that with AI, there's a lot of interesting dangers that comes with that, where they can actually strip your children's clothes,” said Brownlee.
To strangers tracking a child’s location through visual clues in a photo.
“If you post from your house, they can see exactly what your address is. If you obviously post close by to your school, they can figure out where they go to school you leave, you are literally leaving like a digital footprint of your child and their life over time," said Brownlee.
Overland Park Police Officer John Lacey says he sees the same pattern every year when school starts — proud parents posting just a little too much detail.
"I know it’s tradition. I see it on mine,” said Lacy. “There’s some people on my social media and I look and say, well, they’ve got too much information. I’ve reached out to those parents and explained why.”
Lacey said consider the following safety tips:
His advice,
- Don’t post your child’s full name.
- Avoid sharing the school name or location.
- Keep backgrounds blank to prevent revealing addresses.
- Consider only listing their grade.
“What we want the parents to do is just to be a little bit more careful of what they post and how they post," said Lacy.
Brownlee suggests getting creative to keep the tradition alive while protecting your child: take pictures from behind with backpacks, or use an emoji or sticker over faces.
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