Most of us use social media in various ways these days. We like to keep up with friends, network with business associates, and share all the wonderful experiences our families are having.

Often we love to post our vacation pictures of the kids playing on the beach, or their prom pictures, or even birthday parties. But there is a high risk in doing so. Without wanting to, we are sharing our children’s birth dates, names and school information to possible predators.

Parents today are very concerned about the safety of their children. Your children talk, post and boast on social media, they play video games online, and log in to watch YouTube videos. All of this puts your children at risk for identity theft, cyber bullying and adult predators. The identities of children are often used to commit identity fraud which goes undiscovered until college admission or passport applications are submitted.

So what can you do to protect your child from the dangers that are cloaked in social media activities?

Well first of all, be smart. Think about what you’re posting on Facebook or Instagram. Could it help a stranger or cyberbully target your child? You may accidentally be setting your child up for bullying, identity theft or worse.

Did you know that many cameras these days can add geo-tagging codes to your pictures and videos? Predators can use that information to follow your child’s whereabouts, after-school clubs and regularly-occurring games. It’s best to turn off geo-tagging from your phones to avoid needlessly sharing locations and time stamps.

Finally, always review and check the privacy settings on your profiles. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with all of the updates that may reset your settings when pushed through. So make it a habit to check in and make sure your settings allow only those friends you want to see your posts the ability to do so. Stay in private instead of public to keep predators from lurking.

You can also protect your children from identity theft, cyber bullying and adult predators by enrolling with ID Mentor.