Tips to keep your family secure

By Better Business Bureau

As families prepare for another school year, social media feeds will soon fill with the annual tradition of first-day-of-school photos marking new grades, new classrooms, and new beginnings.

But before hitting “post,” Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Mainland BC is reminding parents and caregivers to take a closer look at what information those photos may reveal.

Details that can seem harmless, such as a child’s full name, school, grade, teacher, or even identifying information visible in the background, can provide more personal information than families may intend to share. In the wrong hands, those details can potentially be used to support scams, identity theft, or attempts to gain access to personal accounts.

“Those first-day photos are something we all love to see, but they can also create a lasting digital footprint,” said Neesha Hothi, Director of Marketing & Communications, BBB of BC and Yukon. “You don’t have to stop sharing those special moments. Taking a few extra seconds to think about what is visible, what information you’re including, and who can see the post can help protect your family’s privacy.”

Top tips for safer back-to-school photo sharing:

1. Keep personal details private. Avoid including identifiable information such as your child’s full name, age, school, teacher, or grade on signs or in captions. Some of these details may also be used as passwords or answers to account security questions. Read more from BBB about safely sharing back-to-school photos.
2. Choose generic backgrounds. Take a closer look at everything visible in the frame before posting. Avoid showing house numbers, street signs, school names, bus stops, or recognizable landmarks that could reveal where your child lives or goes to school.
3. Check your privacy settings. Regularly review the privacy and security settings on your social media accounts and understand who can see, save or share your posts. Consider removing unnecessary personal details, including your address or phone number, from public-facing profiles.
4. Be cautious with friend and follow requests. Decline requests from people you do not know and be wary of duplicate accounts that appear to belong to someone you are already connected with. Impersonation accounts can be used to gain access to personal posts, information, and contact lists.
5. Strengthen your cybersecurity. Use strong, unique passwords for each account and avoid using information that can easily be found on social media. Enable multi-factor authentication when available for an added layer of security. BBB also offers guidance on creating a strong password

Ultimately, the safest first-day-of-school photo is one that celebrates the milestone without giving strangers a roadmap to your family’s personal information.

For more information about protecting your family, shopping safely and avoiding scams as students head back to the classroom, visit BBB’s Back-to-School HQ.

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