Protecting Yourself and Your Family on Social Media

Chad Hassinger |

Susan R. Kuczera, CFP®, CHFC
Chief Compliance Officer

March 21, 2018

Consider the risks when posting photos of your children on your social media pages.

The Today Show featuring Jeff Rosen warns against the danger of "digital kidnapping." Photos you post of your children and family to your Facebook, Instagram, and other social media pages can put your children at risk for predators looking to steal your photos, and gather information about your family. There was a case where one of these predators claimed someone else's child as their own by sharing a stolen photo to their Facebook page.

Be cautious of the details you provide about your children on your social media pages (i.e. what activities they enjoy, where they go to school, their favorite park). While you may enjoy social media for sharing to your trusted family and close friends about your children, there are precautions you should take and settings on your social media and phone that can help protect from "digital kidnapping."

Phone Settings -

  • Photos can have a hidden location signature embedded even without tagging the location on your post. If you have an iPhone, go to the Privacy Settings on your phone and select photos. Choose to Never Allow photo access on your Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media platforms you may use. This will ensure that any information that may be attached to the photo, such as where and when the photo was taken, is not attached to the photo when posted.

Facebook -

  • Make your profile private. Go to your Privacy Settings on your Facebook page and change who can view your profile from 'Public' to 'Private.'
  • You can also manage your friends by putting them into groups. When you share photos of your children and family, you can select to only share these photos with your specified friend groups that you created.
  • Never put a photo of your children as your profile or cover photo. These photos are always public.
  • Clean out your friends a couple times per year on your social media pages that you do not know or do not speak to.

Instagram -

  • Go to your settings on your profile and set to private. This will only allow followers that you accept to view your Instagram posts.

Source/Link to Today Show Feature: Click Here

Unless otherwise expressly indicated, the opinions or views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect, and may differ from, the opinions or views of Strategic Financial Group, LLC or others within Strategic Financial Group, LLC, including its officers, managers, owners, employees or other service providers.