ATLANTA — Students in many districts across metro Atlanta returned to class Monday as the new school year begins, and the FBI is warning families to think twice before posting back-to-school photos online.

FBI Atlanta Special Agent Marlo Graham encourages parents to avoid sharing information that could reveal where their children live or wait for the school bus.

“As you take those photos you’re being cautious that the numerical of your house isn’t in the background, or as you’re posting pictures and you post your child at the bus stop you’re not including the cross streets in which the bus stop is located,” Graham said.

The FBI says criminals can use that information to target children. Graham also urged parents to know what their children are doing online and who they are communicating with.

“An online person is very different, that is a different friend. A friend who shouldn’t have access to your home address, they shouldn’t have access to your phone number, and they shouldn’t know when your family is going on vacation,” Graham said.

The FBI says Georgia leads the nation in sextortion payouts, with victims ranging in age from 7 to 17.

“The state of Georgia is actually the number one monetary victim for sextortions,” Graham said.

The agency says sextortion and other forms of financial extortion are happening across all online platforms.

“And from an online standpoint the extortions, so sextortions, financial extortions, those are happening on all platforms,” Graham said.

Graham also reminded young people that suspicious requests online are often coming from adults pretending to be children.

“I tell young people all of the time, I’m like if anyone ever asks you for something indecent online, it is not another child, that is not what kids do,” Graham said.

The FBI encourages parents to remind their children to involve a trusted adult if they are contacted by suspicious people online.

The agency says studies suggest about three out of four parents have posted photos or information about their children on social media. The FBI warns that even private social media accounts do not necessarily protect sensitive information from bad actors.

The FBI is also reminding families and students that making or even re-sharing a social media post about a school threat could result in criminal charges.

WSB Radio’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.