‘Unfortunate reality’: AFP warns parents about posting back-to-school photos online

As Aussie kids head back to school after the holiday period, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has released a warning about posting back-to-school snaps on the internet.

Anticipating social media feeds flooded with photos of wide-eyed young students in their uniforms, ready to begin the next school term, proud parents are reminded that not everyone online has good intentions.

“It is an unfortunate reality that innocently posted pictures have been taken, shared and altered by those who have less-than-innocent intentions,” AFP Commander Helen Schneider said.

“Non-explicit pictures of children and young people become the target of highly sexualised and inappropriate comments or role play, which our investigators define as text-based child abuse material.”

The AFP on Monday shared a number of ways that parents can be vigilant, and keep their children safe.

Whether it is a school uniform logo, or details that can be spotted in the background of a photo — evidence of the child’s hobbies, or an address visible on a street sign or front door — Schneider said offenders can use this information “to build a profile of the child.”

These profiles can be used to groom children, she said, or to manipulate parents and carers to “gain access or leverage.”

“While these incidents are rare, the sad reality is they do happen,” Schneider said.

“Small actions can mitigate big risks. Something as simple as blurring or obscuring the logo of your child’s school on their uniform or in the background of an image can help ensure they don’t become a target.”

But aside from what is visible in the images, the AFP said there are a number of privacy checks that parents can make to their social media profiles, to ensure that only trusted friends and relatives are viewing their information.

Privacy tips for parents

The first step for parents who post images of their children on social media, is to ensure privacy setting on their social media accounts are secure and set to private or “friends only,” the AFP said.

They also warned parents to check the privacy setting on the device they are using.

Parents were urged to avoid “checking in” or tagging a or disclosing their location online.

The AFP advised parents to avoid publicly sharing their child’s full name, age, and to even avoid posting images where the child is pictured in their school uniform.

Otherwise, they advised against including the name of the child’s school, and the school logo, on social media accounts.

“If another person is taking photos of your child, talk to them about how the photos will be used and how they will be shared,” AFP said.