PARENTS have been warned against sharing photos of their kids on social media over fears it could lead to identity theft later in life.
Posting pics and videos of little ones on Facebook, Instagram and other popular apps is commonplace these days.
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This is especially the case as kids return to school this week, with many tempted to share photos of them in their school uniform.
But experts warn the trend risks a number of dangerous consequences if they fall into the wrong hands.
These sorts of posts can inadvertently giveaway key information about children that can be used by fraudsters, such as their birthday and address.
Researchers say parents are not only “unwittingly” increasing the risk of identity fraud, but also harassment and cyber bullying.
Read more about social media
And it could make it easier for criminals to make contact with kids both online and offline.
Almost half (45 per cent) of parents admitted to actively posting snaps of their kids online, according to a study of 1,000 parents by the University of Southampton.
The analysis also found that parents, as well as other carers and even schools, are not fully aware of loopholes in some social media privacy features.
This includes tools like tagging and re-sharing that allow content to go beyond your own friends list.
“Sharenting poses a real and present danger to our children,” Professor Pamela Ugwudike, who carried out the research, told the BBC.
“By proudly sharing photos and information about children on social media, parents are unwittingly putting them at risk of harm, both online such as cyberbullying, and in the real world – not just now, but also years down the line.”
Does hiding their face help?
Parents who are a little more cautious about sharing photos of their kids online have found some workarounds.
This includes poses that show the child turning away to hide their face or putting an emoji on top of their head.
Experts say this can help but parents still need to be aware that they may be giving important details away in captions.
Joanne Orlando, a digital wellbeing researcher at Western Sydney University, told ABC: “You might share medical conditions, like, ‘Oh they wet the bed again, what can I do? Someone give me some advice?’
“That can be used.
“Someone might contact your child and say, ‘Mum told me to speak to you, it’s about you wetting the bed.'”
Top tip
If someone posts a photo or video of your child on Facebook or Instagram without permission – and they refuse to remove it – you can put in a request with Meta to take it down.
You can only get content removed if they’re under 13 years-old.
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How to protect yourself from fraud
USE the following tips to protect yourself from fraudsters.
- Keep your social media accounts private – Think twice before you your share details – in particular your full date of birth, address and contacts details – all of this information can be useful to fraudsters.
- Deactivate and delete old social media profiles – Keep track of your digital footprint. If a profile was created 10 years ago, there may be personal information currently available for a fraudster to use that you’re are not aware of or you have forgotten about.
- Password protect your devices– Keep passwords complex by picking three random words, such as roverducklemon and add or split them with symbols, numbers and capitals.
- Install anti-virus software on your laptop and personal devices and keep it up to date – This will make it harder for fraudsters to access your data in the first place.
- Take care on public Wi-Fi– Fraudsters can hack or mimic them. If you’re using one, avoid accessing sensitive apps, such as mobile banking.
- Think about your offline information too – Always redirect your post when you move home and make sure your letter or mailbox is secure.
