As the Herald ramps up for CyberSecurity Week we will be bringing you many cyber aware resources. If you watch only one online-safety video this October, make it “A Message From Ella.” In the spot, an AI-generated future version of a child sits her parents down and asks a hard question: why did you share my childhood with the internet without asking me? It’s part of Deutsche Telekom’s #ShareWithCare campaign, and it lands because it feels real. Once something about your child is online—photos, milestones, even private moments—you don’t fully control where it goes next.

Why this hits home right now

We share because we love our kids and want to keep family in the loop. But “sharenting”—posting about our children online—comes with trade-offs that are easy to miss. Public posts can end up training facial-recognition systems, fuel doxxing, and expose answers to common security questions (think birthdays, school names, pets, team mascots). Put simply: cute details today can become breadcrumbs tomorrow.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which makes this a great time to take stock. Small changes to how we share can make a big difference in our kids’ privacy and safety—and in their trust that we’re looking out for them.

What “sharenting” really means

Sharenting is just parenting-by-posting: photos, videos, stories, and updates about kids. It absolutely has upsides—community, connection, proud moments. But there’s a hidden footprint that often grows faster than we realize:

• Identifiers pile up: names, birthdays, school logos, street numbers, geotags.
• Faces and voices in high-resolution can be reused or manipulated by AI tools
• Security-question clues (first pet, favorite team, childhood street) appear in cheerful captions.
  

None of this is meant to scare you off the internet. It’s about sharing with intention.

A quick family sharing policy (you can adopt it today)

Ask first. If your child is old enough to understand, get a clear yes before you post. Make “no” a respected answer. You’re teaching consent as much as you’re choosing a photo.

Trim the details. Skip last names, birthdays, school names, house numbers, and live location tags. Crop uniforms and jerseys if they point to a specific place.

Tighten the audience. Use private groups or lists, turn off face-tagging, and double-check who can see past albums. You don’t have to go full-hermit—just share like it’s a holiday card, not a billboard.

Future-proof the moment. Will this still feel okay to your child at 16—or 26? If you’re unsure, save it to a private album or send it directly to grandparents.

Pick “safe-share” channels. For the inner circle, try closed albums, end-to-end encrypted messaging, or a password-protected photo library.

For schools, teams, and clubs

If you help run a classroom, league, or club, a simple photo policy goes a long way. Use opt-in consent (not opt-out), honor “no-photos” preferences without fuss, avoid posting rosters and schedules publicly, and set a clear rule for how long images are kept and where they can be reused.

A teen-friendly checklist (share this with them)

Keep accounts private, turn off location on posts, and use different usernames across platforms. Don’t share school IDs, travel plans, or anything you wouldn’t want a coach or employer to see later. And know your exits: every major platform has a way to report impersonation and request takedowns—learn where those buttons live before you need them.

Make it a conversation, not a crackdown

Ella’s “talk” with her parents is fictional, but the feelings behind it are honest. Take 10 minutes this month to ask your kids:

• What do you want posted about you?
• Who should be allowed to see it?
• If you change your mind, how do we fix it?
  

Write down the family rules you agree on, stick them on the fridge, or put them in a shared note. You’ll be surprised how much calmer posting feels once everyone knows the boundaries.

Watch together, then choose one change

Look up “A Message From Ella” on YouTube and watch it as a family. Then pick a single habit to change this October: maybe it’s turning off location tags, switching old albums to “private,” or asking before you post. Small steps add up.

Proud, present and still privacy-smart

You don’t have to hide to keep your kids safe online. Be proud. Go to the game, the concert, the parade. Take the photo! The goal isn’t zero sharing—it’s smart sharing.

Reality check: in public spaces, other people will snap pictures. That’s normal. What you control are your own habits and the boundaries you set with friends, family, and teams.

Here’s an easy rhythm that works in real life:

• After, not during. Enjoy the moment, then post once you’re home. One great highlight beats a flood of play-by-plays.
• Frame it tight. Zoom on your kid, not the school sign, street number, or license plates
• Keep names/location light. First name only, no tags without asking, and skip live location.
• Use your smaller circle. Put the personal stuff in a private album or “close friends” li
• Have a house signal. A quick “yellow light” or hand sign means “please don’t post that.”

When someone asks to take a photo, try these 5-second scripts:

• Friendly no: “Thanks for asking—we keep our kid’s photos offline.”
• Yes, with limits: “A quick photo is fine, but please don’t post it.”
• If it’s already up: “Would you mind taking that down or making it friends-only?”

Kid-sized versions work too:

• “Please don’t post my picture.”
• “Ask my grown-up first.”
• “Selfie’s okay—no posting.”
  

For schools, teams, and clubs, keep it simple: ask for opt-in photo permission, make “no-photos” easy to spot (a sticker or wristband works), share a short note about no live locations or tagging minors, and give families a private gallery link so they can still enjoy the pictures.

Bottom line: stay present and careful. Celebrate your kids—and protect their future selves—with a few thoughtful choices each time you share.Want to learn more about personal privacy online?  Check out Operation Privacy. OperationPrivacy.com gives you a step-by-step checklist (400+ tasks) to reduce your online footprint—think data-broker opt-outs, credit freezes, device/privacy hardening, and OpSec tips. You can track progress with a “privacy score,” get continually updated tasks, and access a private forum. Most of it is free; there’s an optional “Ghost” tier (~$9/year) that unlocks advanced items like anonymizing utilities and “planting your flag” guidance. They emphasize not collecting personal data beyond what’s needed to run your account, and accounts inactive for ~400 days are deleted.