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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have cautioned against this?

41 replies

Mumbloggingethics · 05/10/2025 13:01

My sister had her first baby a few months back and has started a mum blogger Instagram page.

I have really strong feelings about this in terms of children’s privacy and the impact the account can have - the mum bloggers I used to follow seemed addicted to likes, and the time with their kids they thought the page could finance became ‘content creating time’ with the kids constantly forced to do things or wear things they didn’t want to for ads. Quite a few have had to come off at regular intervals ‘for their mental health’ after a stream of negative comments. It seems a low profile page without disclosing private information just isn’t possible once the following grows.

I explain the above to her and cautioned her against it. She sent back a one word reply and is obviously annoyed, but I felt it had to be said.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
Mumbloggingethics · 05/10/2025 14:31

FaceBothered · 05/10/2025 14:30

You sound quite hypocritical if you enjoyed following all that rubbish in the past.

Perhaps that's the problem here?

Why? That’s how I found out all the ethical issues myself.

OP posts:
FaceBothered · 05/10/2025 14:30

You sound quite hypocritical if you enjoyed following all that rubbish in the past.

Perhaps that's the problem here?

Boogiemam · 05/10/2025 14:29

YANBU, especially when you look at at the viewing stats for these mummy bloggers 🤮

But you've said what you need to, and she isn't heeding sensible advice so you just need to leave her to it unfortunately.

Swiftie1878 · 05/10/2025 14:25

Mumbloggingethics · 05/10/2025 13:10

Yes my approach was just to say my piece once then leave it.

Show quote history

Did she ask for your piece?

bigwhitedog · 05/10/2025 14:13

YANBU. Anyone who puts their children on social media is unwise at best and if actively using them as content/revenue, just downright disgusting.

GrumpySparkler · 05/10/2025 14:11

I wholeheartedly agree OP. This modern day phenomenon baffles me. The baby or child in question cannot have an understanding of their image being used for these purposes or consent to it.
I've said this before, but the joke when I was younger was that my parents would get the family photo albums when I brought a boyfriend home to show him - that joke is no longer relevant because these children have every single moment documented online for the masses from birth. If my parents had done this to me when I was a child I would be furious and quite likely would not speak to them (and I have very lovely, caring parents).

TheFoodLife · 05/10/2025 13:59

obviously what you said was correct, and it was brave of you to say it. If I were you I’d at some point make it clear that there is no shame in reversing out of blogging if it turns out not to be enjoyable, so that she doesn’t feel doggedly stuck with her decision!

roseymoira · 05/10/2025 13:58

I agree with you, but the kind of people who would start a ‘mummy blogger’ page wouldn’t understand it at all

Spirallingdownwards · 05/10/2025 13:55

What was the "one word" response? Was it "whatever"?

I would have probably given a ruder 2 word one on account of it being none of your business.

BlueberryLatte · 05/10/2025 13:51

I would never be a mummy blogger. I agree with you re children's privacy. But yabu to raise this with her unless you did so extremely subtly. Clearly you didn't as you've upset her. You do need to keep your nose out - they are not your children

Anonomoso · 05/10/2025 13:49

You've said your peace that's all you can do.

She'll soon learn that some people can be vicious when behind a screen.

Original poster
Mumbloggingethics · 05/10/2025 13:10

NuffSaidSam · 05/10/2025 13:07

I don't think YABU for saying it. But now it's said, you need to leave it, don't let it become an ongoing issue. It's her choice.

Yes my approach was just to say my piece once then leave it.

OP posts:
SparklyCardigan · 05/10/2025 13:09

YANBU at all, but the reality is she probably won't get that many followers. So it will probably fizzle out sooner rather than later. It is awful though, even if she only has a few hundred followers, that's still hundreds of strangers who shouldn't be seeing photos of her baby.

NuffSaidSam · 05/10/2025 13:07

I don't think YABU for saying it. But now it's said, you need to leave it, don't let it become an ongoing issue. It's her choice.

ExtraOnions · 05/10/2025 13:06

Mind your Beeswax maybe ?

Ciderapplevinegar · 05/10/2025 13:06

She's excited about it, and you've shot it down. Even if she later listens to your advice she was never going to be happy to hear it in the moment.

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