Originally posted: HerLifeSparkles.com

Yay, the kids are headed back to school. No more snacking uncontrollably, drinking all the juice or toys all over the house. Let’s pause the excitement for a bit and have a quick heart to heart. Y’all, nothing annoys me more than seeing parents carelessly share personal information at back to school time. I know we’re excited but we still have to think. Child trafficking/kidnapping is real and I’d hate to hear that someone I’m connected to in life or online has been a victim.

Social media had desensitized us to what a stranger really is. We keep up with each other day to day, so we truly feel like we know each other. People have literally watched my children grow up, and they feel like they’re part of our family. The scary truth is that we really don’t know what goes with other people on once we log off our social accounts. Especially when you openly share your life on social media like I do. There is a way to be public and still maintain a sense of privacy.

Here are a few tips to make sure you’re not giving away too much information in the midst of your first day of school excitement:

Avoid Geotagging

When you upload pictures to Facebook, most times it will automatically add the location for you. Turn off the automated geo-tagging feature so that you don’t accidentally post it. Skip mentioning the name in the caption too, search engines are smart and they will be able to pick up all of that information if it’s populated. We know where elementary school starts and ends, telling us what grade they are going to is more than enough information.

Actually, let’s just stop get-tagging and checking into places while we are there all together. Especially if you have you children with you. At best check in after you’re gone, safety should always be the priority.

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By Tina Meeks