Every August and September, Facebook feeds fill up with the same photo. You know the one. A kid standing on the front porch holding a chalkboard sign that lists their name, age, grade, school, teacher’s name, favorite subject, what they want to be when they grow up, and about twelve other personal details. It’s the “first day of school” photo, and police departments across the country are begging parents to stop posting it.
Not stop taking the photo. Stop posting it publicly on social media with all that information visible. There’s a big difference, and most parents don’t realize it until someone spells it out for them.
The Chalkboard Photo Problem, Explained Simply
Here’s what a typical first day of school chalkboard includes: the child’s full name, their age, what grade they’re entering, the name of their school, their teacher’s name, their favorite book, their favorite sport, their best friend’s name, and what they want to be when they grow up. Parents fill these out with colorful chalk, snap a cute photo on the front step, and post it to Facebook within minutes.
Cambridge Police Lieutenant Chris Ponte, who leads a Family and Social Justice Section, put it bluntly in an interview about the trend. He explained that a predator could approach a child and say something like, “Oh, your teacher so and so, yeah, you’re in the third grade, she told me you like hockey.” Suddenly that person doesn’t seem like a stranger anymore. They seem like someone who knows the child’s world. That’s exactly how these details get weaponized.
The photo itself isn’t the problem. It’s the information on it, combined with how far it can travel once it hits a public (or even a “private”) social media account.
Police Departments from Coast to Coast Are Saying the Same Thing
This isn’t one small town police department being overly cautious. It’s a coordinated warning from law enforcement agencies across the country, and it comes back every single year because parents keep doing it.
The Richland Police Department in Washington state, working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, issued a warning telling parents to avoid posting a child’s name, age, grade, or any “favorite” information. The Middletown Police in Connecticut posted a similar message, saying signs with personal details “should be kept as a memory and or shared with family only.” They even had their K9 officer, a dog named Bear, pose with a chalkboard to demonstrate the right way to do it. The Overland Park Police in Kansas flagged the same thing. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois created a post about it that got shared over 135,000 times on Facebook.
When police departments from Connecticut to Kansas to Washington state are all saying the exact same thing at the exact same time of year, it’s worth paying attention.
What Exactly Should You Leave Off the Sign
If you want to keep taking first day photos (and you should, they’re great memories), here’s what law enforcement says to remove before posting publicly:
The child’s full name. The school name. The teacher’s name. The child’s age. The school mascot (yes, even that, because it can identify the school). Favorite things like books, sports, or TV shows. What they want to be when they grow up. Any background details that reveal your home address or the school location.
South Windsor Police Sgt. Mark Cleverdon offered the most practical breakdown I’ve seen. He said a first name and a grade level are fine to post. That’s it. No school name, no teacher, no mascot, no extras. If you want the full detailed chalkboard with all the fun facts, take that photo for yourself and your family group chat. Don’t put it on Facebook where your 847 “friends” (and whoever can see their shares) have access to it.
Scott Driscoll, founder of Internet Safety Concepts, nailed it when he pointed out the irony: “All things that we would tell our child to never share with a stranger, but we are putting it online.”
Your “Private” Facebook Account Isn’t Really Private
I know what you’re thinking. “My account is set to friends only.” That’s the response police hear every single year, and it’s the reason they keep having to repeat this warning.
Internet safety expert Donna Rice Hughes, who runs an organization called Enough Is Enough, explained it clearly: “Anyone in your friends’ circle can then share that information.” One screenshot from one person on your friends list, and that photo is now completely outside your control. Your cousin shares it. Her coworker sees it. Someone screenshots it. It gets reposted in a group. It ends up on a platform you’ve never even heard of.
Once a photo is on social media, you have zero control over where it goes. Lt. Ponte from Cambridge Police said it simply: “Once it’s out there, there’s no getting it back.” Privacy settings are a starting point, not a guarantee.
Identity Theft Is the Part Nobody Thinks About
Most parents immediately think about stranger danger when they hear these warnings, and that’s valid. But there’s another angle that gets overlooked. Lt. Ponte also warned that children whose information is posted online can have their credit compromised years before they’re old enough to even apply for a credit card. A kid could turn 18, apply for a student loan or try to rent their first apartment, and find out someone has been using their identity for years.
Deputy Sheriff Tim Creighton from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office added another layer to this. He pointed out that many parents use their child’s name in passwords. So when you post your kid’s full name, birthday, grade, and school, you’re basically handing someone the building blocks they need to guess your passwords too.
Think about it. How many of your passwords include a kid’s name, a birth year, or a school name? Be honest. Most people’s do.
While We’re at It, Stop Posting Boarding Passes Too
The first day of school photo gets most of the attention from police, but it’s not the only photo that can cause serious problems. Boarding passes are another one that people post without thinking.
That barcode on your boarding pass contains your Passenger Name Record, or PNR. It’s basically a master key to your airline account. A travel expert named Steve Hui proved how dangerous this is by finding a stranger’s boarding pass photo posted publicly online. Using just the person’s name and e-ticket number from the photo, he logged directly into their airline account. He could see their full travel plans, frequent flyer details, and payment information. All from a photo someone thought was just a fun “vacation mode” post.
Hackers also steal frequent flyer miles this way. Once those points are gone, they’re almost impossible to recover. After your trip, shred the physical boarding pass. Don’t toss it in the airport trash. And if you absolutely must post a photo of it (why?), blur the barcode and every piece of text on it.
Vacation Photos Can Tell Burglars Your House Is Empty
Here’s one more that police want you to think about. Posting vacation photos while you’re still on vacation is basically an announcement that nobody is home.
According to data cited by TIME Magazine, nearly 80% of burglars use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms to plan break-ins. That stat should make you uncomfortable. The CMO of NordVPN put it in plain terms: “Each time a social media user announces that they are in the Caribbean with the family, it’s a signal that their home is empty.”
If you need a real world example, look at what happened to Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016. One of the thieves who robbed her admitted that they organized the crime using her social media posts. After that, Kardashian changed her approach entirely and now only posts about locations after she has already left.
You don’t have to be a celebrity for this to matter. If your Facebook shows you at a resort in Cancun for a week and your profile also shows what city you live in, that’s enough for someone motivated to figure out where your house is.
The fix is simple. Post your vacation photos after you get home. Nobody is going to enjoy them any less because they’re three days late.
The Quick Checklist Before You Post Any Photo
Before you hit “share” on anything on Facebook or Instagram, run through these questions. Does this photo show my home address, my street, or any identifying house numbers? Does it include personal details about my kids that I wouldn’t want a stranger to know? Does it show a boarding pass, a piece of mail, a document, or anything with account numbers on it? Does it signal to anyone that my house is currently empty?
If the answer to any of those is yes, crop it, blur it, or just don’t post it. Take the photo for yourself. Text it to your parents. Put it in a family group chat. Print it out and stick it on the fridge. You don’t have to share everything with everyone to keep the memory.
Also, take five minutes right now to check your Facebook privacy settings. Go to Settings, then Privacy, and make sure your posts aren’t defaulting to “Public.” Check who can see your friends list. Check who can look you up by phone number or email. These settings change periodically when Facebook updates, so even if you set them a year ago, check again.
You Can Still Take the Cute Photo
Nobody is saying you can’t document your kid’s first day of school. Those photos are great. Take the chalkboard photo with all the details, put it in a physical scrapbook or a locked photo album on your phone, and share it with grandma over text. For the Facebook version, keep it vague. “First day of 3rd grade!” with a smiling kid and no other details does the job just fine.
The Middletown Police said it best: keep these photos simple. The memories are for your family. Facebook doesn’t need to know your kid’s teacher’s name, their favorite color, and what school they walk into every morning. That information has no business being public, no matter how cute the chalkboard looks.
