Naked baby / toddler photos on Facebook

[OnTheMap]

A friend of mine regularly posts pictures of her family, including her 1 yr DS - one of her relatives complained on her photos, asking her to "put some trousers on the boy". She has 700+ friends so they're not all close friends.

He was very rude to complain so publicly, but was he wrong? Is it ok to post naked pictures of your children so publicly?

[Bluebelljumpsoverthemoon]

I'd report the photo. If adults want to post naked photos if themselves all over the internet they're free to do so, children deserve privacy until they're old enough to make that decision. It's a pity that it's not illegal to post photos of naked kids on the internet - yet, when these children are old enough to speak for themselves it'll be treated the same as child porn. Many of these photos will be shared on those types of websites anyway.

How would these adults feel if 'innocent' photos of their genitals were splashed all over the internet for everyone to gawk at? It should be illegal to display photographs of anyone's privates without their (adult) permission.

I wouldn't be shy of telling someone exactly what I thought of that either, publicly or not. They're obviously desperate for any bit of attention they can get and unfortunately exploiting a child to get it.

[believeintheshield]

I take naked photos of DS (in the bath, paddling pool etc.) and I post photos of DS on fb all the time, but I've never posted a naked photo of him online. There's nothing wrong with naked toddlers IMO but I feel the same way as bluebell - I wouldn't want naked photos of me online so I won't do it to DS! I don't think it's necessarily exploitation for attention though; the poster probably just didn't think anything of it. Not really sure what I'd do in your situation TBH.

[OnTheMap]

What makes it worse it that my friend posts all her photos with the privacy set as "public"

[littlejohnnydory]

I have posted photos of my children with just pants on, or swimming costumes but I dreaw the line at completely naked - and my privacy settings are tightly controlled.

[SouthernComforts]

I report an acquaintances photos regularly. She is so far into PFB territory that she has no filter whatsoever.

The most memorable being the child's first shit on a potty. Naked, legs spread, mid poo. Grim.

[BertieBotts]

I think it's naive. The problem is that you might think there is nothing wrong or offensive about a naked child, and I would agree, but what I didn't realise until fairly recently is that facebook is used quite widely by paedophiles to share photographs and videos in closed groups. Because the groups are visible only to members and facebook does not pre moderate content they go unnoticed. It's vile and I don't understand why they don't have random spot checks on private groups but until they do that, I am extremely careful what I share on facebook and I have privacy settings high.

[RiojaHaze]

I know people who have been banned from Facebook for posting photos they deemed unsuitable. Odd how they consider adult nudies bad but children's ok.

[MyFairyKing]

I feel sorry for this poor babies who are going to be adults one day. No privacy, no respect. I have plenty of naked baby pics of me but they're tucked away in a photo album, I get to choose their audience. Not that I ever would. They're a sweet moment between me and my parents. Nothing else.

[SaucyJack]

I don't like it. I think it's disrespectful to post nudey pics of someone else online- even if it is your baby. They still have a right to privacy. I wouldn't bet against it causing problems in later life for the children of the blogger generation.

I also don't want to see pics of other people naked children. I can admire the cuteness of your baby without needing to see their genitalia.

[woowoo22]

Hate this. I know someone who will go up to women in the street and tell them their skirt/shorts are too short (yes, really), yet she puts naked pics of her 5 year old online all the time.
The latest was of her DS peeing outside. Someone reported the photo, so massive rant on FB about how unfair it was. All her friends agreed that this is "PC gone mad" stuff. I didn't comment but just thought - eh, hello, child's right to privacy/modesty etc etc, SO many reasons why it is wrong/stupid to put naked pics of your kid online!!!

[KnackeredMuchly]

I can't help but take photos of my toddler's bottom - it is just adorable!

I resist putting them on facebook but I do get tempted. No way wpuld I post genetalia.

[BackOnlyBriefly]

The reason people post these pictures is that normal people look at children and think "aww how sweet" without thinking about sex at all.

It's just a minority that see the child as 'naked'.

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

Obviously it's a one in a bazillion chance that Mr Pervy Paedo gets to see your toddler's naked bum and gets off on it so, in a way, anyone who feels the need to post pictures of their kids from morning to night has the liberty to do so.....I find other people's kids' pics so stultifyingly boring I wouldn't even pause to look, but then again, I'm not the aforementioned Mr Pervy Paedo.

A friend of mine was pulled up by FB recently as she had posted pics of her slightly-older-than-toddler girl (prob about 3-4 IIRC) fully frontal naked. That did leave me It just looked awful tbh. Poor child.

I think it's less to do with PC-gone-mad and pervs on every corner and just a general lack of common sense with people using social media.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Yy to sangrias last paragraph.

[ICanSeeTheSun]

I must be weird as I have never taken pictures of my DC fully naked.

I have bath pictures, but the genitals are covered with bubbles.

I don't see the need. But to post them on the internet is vile.

[Thecircle]

I have a Facebook friend who posts naked pics of her dd constantly, she has recently added a star to cover her modesty but still irks me.

[phantomnamechanger]

people are so naïve. everything can be done in an instant these days and pasted in the internet for ever. people do things in haste without thinking them through.

there is nothing wrong with childhood nudity, nothing wrong in mixed gender toddlers sharing a bath or running round on the beach naked, and nothing wrong with taking a few pictures of these events. But there are many reasons NOT to paste these on the internet for all and sundry to see and access forever.

[CanaryYellow]

I don't understand why people do this. YANBU.

But I have a very low tolerance when it comes to FB.

Likewise when people post photos of their sick children, covered in chicken pox or measles or snot, lying on the sofa with a blanket and looking like death warmed up. I'd punch my DH if he even attempted to take a photo of me looking like that, never mind posting it on FB for all our friends and family to see.

[CarbeDiem]

I hate it when people do this too. (and children's public nudity in general)
There's nothing wrong in taking the photo's for your own private family albums but it should be just that - private.
You just never know who could be looking at them.

[Only1scoop]

Yanbu....

Can people not enjoy photo's etc and anything else in life for that matter without sharing it with hundreds of 'friends' and limitless possible strangers.

Find the whole thing odd

But I guess I'm rather odd as I manage to conduct a full life minus FB

[catgirl1976]

I'd be far more bothered by someone who felt the need to "add a star" to cover her child's genitals on a picture than someone who didn't.

[catgirl1976]

But to me a child's genitalia is no more remarkable than their foot, hand or elbow.

[Vinomcstephens]

Taking photos of your kiddies with no clothes on - fine. Putting them on Facebook or indeed anywhere else? Absolutely not fine. As the parent it's your responsibility to ensure that your child's dignity and privacy are safeguarded, and posting naked photos of them, or where they are prancing around wearing just their pants is not on. I'd be mortified if the internet had been around when I was a baby/toddler and there were photos online that I deemed inappropriate that my parents had added.... Whereas now, if I want to upload a slinky bikini shot then it's my choice, nobody else's. (Although probably most people would prefer that I didn't )

I think people lose sight of the fact that once a photo is online, it's there forever. You can delete it from Facebook but it's still out there in the webesphere for all eternity....

[Booboostoo]

I do it without a second thought. Privacy and dignity are first person concepts, generated and regulated by the person herself, so it's pretty nonsensical to apply them to infants that have absolutely no cognitive understanding of them. I find it pretty disturbing when a society is so retentive about children's nudity (as well as nudity overall) - it's just body parts. As for the prevalence of peadophiles I am not convinced that seeing FB photos will encourage them, clearly they have much more deep seated problems.

[Vinomcstephens]

Booboo - good argument (no sarcasm, I mean it ) so a question your post raises: if someone in a coma has no cognitive understanding, no concept of privacy or dignity, would it be ok to take a photo of then naked and post it on Facebook?

Please do remember - I'm not being argumentative, it's a genuine question following your train of thought....