MILWAUKEE — Back to school for some kids means books, basketball and hanging out with your friends. However, for parents, things can get a little more serious.
"I have two kids. One is going into fourth grade, one is going into sixth grade," parent, Ann Grevenkamp, said.
Grevenkamp said with her kids getting older, she's very careful about what's posted on social media.
"I don't post for their birthdays. I don't post for the first day of school. I may post a picture, but it's going to be a very generic picture," Grevenkamp explained.
Grevenkamp said she used to post pictures of her kids regularly and never thought twice about it.
"I did the whole fun chalkboard thing, I think I did it maybe like twice. Then it was shortly after that where it was like don't do that. You don't even think about it. You think they're cute photos and they're not going to fall into the wrong hands," Grevenkamp said.
As your kids are heading back into the classroom, experts said it's crucial to be careful what you're sharing online. Things like your kid's name and their interests are totally fine, but information like where they go to school, your child's age, and your child's teacher is information you'll want to leave out.
"People put way too much information out on social media, way too much," Bryan Sevener said.
Sevener's a cyber security expert and CEO of Valor Technologies.
"What you might think is benign, if somebody's paying attention to you over multiple videos or a longer time frame, they can piece together enough information and figure out who, what, where you are," Sevener explained.
Sevener said there are bad actors everywhere and they're using social media to prey on kids. He said there's several steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.
"Know who's on your friend's list. Narrowing that down and truly knowing who those individuals are. Trusted family members, very close friends. Also, making sure your profile is set to private. Don't put that information out publicly," Sevener said.
As you're heading back to school, experts said just be cautious of what you're posting and who can see your content.
