LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Back-to-school season is here.
Not only have teachers and students been preparing for the new school year, but Arkansas State Police have also been working to make sure parents know what to do to keep kids safe before sending them back to the classroom.
"The first day back to school is an exciting time. It's for the kids, for the parents, but we also see that it can be one of the most security risks for parents," said Major Stacie Rhoads with ASP.
Major Rhoads explained how the biggest concern that they have is with seeing the information parents release online about their child's classroom, age, name, and school.
"We see a lot of photos online of kids on the first day of school. They got their new outfit, new haircut, all that kind of stuff but we also see that parents are exposing a lot of personal information. That's probably not a smart idea," she added.
When something is on the internet, it is there forever. This is why Major Rhoads wants parents to keep a few things in mind before posting first-day-of-school pictures.
She emphasized that it's not people you know who can see the photos. You're potentially giving access to people who are out of state to also see the photos.
"[We have] Interstate 40, we have Interstate 30 that, you know from Fort Smith to West Memphis you can get there in less than four hours. Just last week alone there were five [missing] kids in Arkansas, two of them which we actually issued AMBER Alerts for," she described.
Kalie Whitlow has two children and said that the potential dangers of posting the photos online is something she hasn't thought about until recent years.
"They've been showing like posters of how you should present your child instead of putting, you know, what grade they're in, who their teacher is, and things like that. It can be really dangerous," she added.
Whitlow also said it can be tough to talk to children about the potential dangers they face.
"That's terrifying. You're already scared of things that can go on inside of the school and with school shootings and everything that's going on. You've got to take extra precautions these days," she said.
Major Rhoads also explained that parental involvement is crucial.
'Kids just don't have the capacity to understand how dangerous it is and that's why it's imperative for parents to monitor what they're doing," she advised.
Arkansas State Police recommend that parents check their online privacy settings and pay attention to who has access to their social media.
For more information on online safety, please click here.