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The new backpack is ready.
The outfit was probably chosen the night before.
The lunch is packed, the hair is done, and somehow everyone actually made it out the door.
Now comes the first-day-of-school photo.
For a lot of Spokane families, that front-porch picture has become just as much a back-to-school tradition as buying new pencils and picking out a backpack. And I love seeing them.
But before you post that smiling face on Facebook or Instagram this year, take an extra 30 seconds and look at the photo one more time.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) recently shared some excellent advice about first-day-of-school photos. The point isn’t to scare parents or tell us to stop sharing family milestones.
It’s simply to make sure we’re not sharing more information than we intended.
Here are seven things worth checking before you hit “post.”
1. Take a Closer Look at That Cute First-Day Sign
You know the ones.
First Day of 3rd Grade!
Then underneath are spaces for a child’s name, age, teacher, school, favorite things and what they want to be when they grow up.
They’re adorable.
But NCMEC recommends taking a closer look at exactly how much information is on that sign before posting it publicly.
A child’s:
- Full name
- School
- Teacher
- Grade
- Age
- Classroom or homeroom
- Favorite activities
may not seem particularly sensitive individually. Put several of those details together, however, and you’ve shared quite a bit about your child and their daily life.
You don’t necessarily need to stop using the signs.
Just consider keeping the more personal version for your family photo album and taking a simpler version if you’re planning to share the picture publicly.
2. Look Behind Your Child
This is such an easy one to miss.
You’re looking at your child’s smile.
Someone else looking at the photograph can see everything else.
Before posting, scan the entire background for things like:
- Your house number
- Street signs
- Apartment numbers
- License plates
- A school name or logo
- Recognizable neighborhood landmarks
NCMEC specifically recommends checking the background for details that could unintentionally reveal where your family lives or spends time.
Sometimes simply moving five feet, changing the camera angle or cropping the finished photo solves the problem.
3. Don’t Forget About Location Information
Here’s the information you can’t necessarily see in the picture.
Phones and apps can use location information, and some photos may contain geolocation metadata depending on your device and settings. The FBI has warned that location information associated with images can potentially reveal where a photo was taken and recommends checking the location settings on your phone and apps.
The FTC also recommends reviewing which apps actually need access to your location and turning off unnecessary location sharing.
So while you’re checking the front of the photo, it’s worth checking what’s happening behind the scenes on your phone too.
4. Think Twice About Posting Your Child’s Daily Routine
There’s another type of information that may not be obvious at first.
Routine.
A photo or caption might tell people:
“My child goes to this school.”
Another post says what time school starts.
Another shows the bus stop.
Another mentions soccer practice every Tuesday.
Individually, none of those posts may feel especially revealing. Together, they can create a surprisingly detailed picture of a child’s routine.
The FBI’s back-to-school online-safety guidance specifically advises families to talk with children about not sharing personal details such as their school, home address or class schedule online.
That’s good advice for grown-ups too.
5. Check Who Can Actually See Your Post
This might be the most important question of all:
Who am I sharing this with?
NCMEC recommends reviewing whether a post is visible to your friends, friends of friends or potentially anyone on the internet.
Take a minute to review your social media privacy settings.
And remember that privacy settings reduce your audience, but they don’t give you complete control once something has been shared. The FTC points out that someone who can see a post can potentially screenshot, save or share it elsewhere.
That doesn’t mean don’t post.
It means know your audience before you do.
6. Ask Your Child
This is one I think is worth adding to the conversation, especially as kids get older.
Before posting their picture, ask:
“Are you okay if I share this?”
It takes about three seconds.
For a preschooler, that conversation obviously looks different than it does with a 13-year-old. But as children grow, involving them in decisions about their own digital footprint is a good habit.
The FTC encourages people to get permission before posting photos or videos of others and reminds families that things shared online can be difficult to fully take back later.
It’s also an easy opportunity to model the same behavior we want our kids to practice with their friends.
7. Do the 30-Second Check
Before you post the picture, stop for half a minute.
Look at the sign.
Look at the background.
Check the caption.
Think about the location.
Check the audience.
And ask yourself:
Am I sharing anything here that I don’t actually need to share?
If something catches your attention, the solution can be incredibly simple.
Crop it.
Blur it.
Change the caption.
Adjust your privacy settings.
Or send the photo directly to Grandma instead of posting it publicly.
That’s essentially the message from NCMEC: celebrating these moments and protecting a child’s privacy don’t have to be opposites. A quick review before posting can make a difference.
Keep Taking the First-Day Pictures
I hope parents don’t read this and think they should stop taking first-day-of-school pictures.
Please don’t.
Take the picture.
Take too many pictures.
Get the one where everyone is smiling and the three before it where someone has their eyes closed.
Because someday that little kid holding the oversized backpack won’t be little anymore, and you’ll be very glad you captured the moment.
Just take a few seconds before sharing it with the rest of the world.
Smile. Snap. Check. Then share.
You can read NCMEC’s full Smile, Snap, Share: A Guide to Safer Back to School Photos for additional information about protecting children’s privacy when sharing back-to-school pictures. Read the NCMEC guide
Love Where You Live
Part of loving Spokane is looking out for the people who call it home — especially our kids.
And when life changes and you start thinking about a different kind of home, I’m here for that too.
If you’re considering selling your Spokane-area home, downsizing, moving closer to family or simply wondering what your home is worth, I’d be happy to help you understand your options.
No pressure. Just local real estate guidance and a conversation about what makes sense for you.
Thinking about your next move? Let’s talk.
