To not let my kids appear on school social media?

My children are 22 and 18 so I am saying it as someone with older children.

My children’s school took photos throughout the year, and every summer, we got a book with them all in with comments about what they had been doing. There is no need to put them online, it is unnecessary risk.

But it is a thing, and It’s literally the advice from the NCA to schools that they shouldn’t publicly be posting images of children online.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/08/uk-schools-remove-pupils-photos-online-ai-blackmail-threat-grows

Look at school websites - lots of pictures of children but all backs of heads. Children (under 18s?) are not able to give consent so parents give consent on their behalf or not as the case may be. Pictures on social media are by parents perhaps without explicit consent.

Or just make sure their bodies are covered in appropriate swimwear at all times? I can't bear people who let their kids run around naked in public. Kids should be taught their bodies are private and anyone outside of their immediate family (or the doctor, when mummy or daddy is present) that wants or asks them to see their body is not a good person and they should tell a trusted adult.

I have not consented to my DC's image being used on school social media and never will.

It’s weird how obtuse you insist on being.

I never thought my son and I would experience such an amazing special bonding time looking at all family pictures.

Literally no one is suggesting no family photos, the conversation is sharing children online and specifically another setting sharing your children online.
You can say you are happy to have your children shared publicly online, but to be disingenuous and suggest the other side of the coin is not being able to look back on family pictures when your children are older is just blatantly ridiculous.

Might as well band all children from beaches!

im not entirely sure there is an issue with someone wanking over a doctored photo of my child if I’m honest. I will never be aware of it and neither will my child. Hopefully their local police will catch them and imprison them
Exactly that! The focus needs to be on reducing the paedophile links. These people will always find a way to satisfy their sick business. They will just look at finding pictures elsewhere.

Does it though?

I'm all for child protection, but that seems to be stretching the bounds of credibility. Surely it would be much easier to just pick any random image of any child anywhere, or take their own pictures out in public. Still awful, but I just cant see the whole doctored photo from the school website being a thing.

It’s about benefit v risk. There is a huge benefit to children and whole families doing activities v any risk. There is no real necessary benefit to putting children’s photos online v any risk
Exactly! The problem is people massively inflating the risk and minimizing the benefit.

I never thought my son and I would experience such an amazing special bonding time looking at all family pictures.

The risk was so low, probably something like 000000.1%. it was totally worth it.

No surely rather get a photo of a baby in swimming shorts they’ll trawl the local primary school for a photo of someone in a heavy school uniform 🙄

sadly, anyone with any experience of paedophiles knows how frequently they’re hauled out of the swimming pool changing rooms.

But they could do that from any picture. They could just take a picture out in public, on a beach, I doubt they are going to the trouble of picking a kid from a school website. What would be the point? I've looked, aad I can't find any reports of that actually happening. Is this a real thing or a Mumsnet myth?

What puzzles me about this is that paedophiles have no need to take pictures of children off social media, they can simply take photos for themselves at places like parks, beaches, swimming pools etc.

But those photos can still be taken and shared with the class, via Dojo (or other apps) / parent newsletter etc. The OP's post was about the school sharing photos on an open social media account.

Many schools take and share photos of the pupils, without using an open social media account.

The actual issue is paedophilia.

im not entirely sure there is an issue with someone wanking over a doctored photo of my child if I’m honest. I will never be aware of it and neither will my child. Hopefully their local police will catch them and imprison them.

can I ask, what if your child was really talented? An actor, cheerleader, swimmer, runner? If they won the county championships or just this weeks park run. what If they were offered a role in a west end musical or a Netflix show.

Would it be a no no no from you in case someone makes them into a CSA image?

if so I think you really need to justify that.

They know where they are, when, with who.

Why would you risk that for even a second?

I think it’s easy to say that when your kids are little but as they get older there’s something really lovely about coming across old school pics and newsletters etc and seeing photos of them with their friends. My dc are 23 and 14 and we’ve laughed over various pics etc many times. The benefits of doing things don’t always have to be groundbreaking to be worthwhile.

Hardly privy to their daily routine because there’s a picture of them at a sports day probably posted after the event finished…..

Sorry OP but I think you are worrying pointlessly.

There are millions of CCTV cameras everywhere. Everyone has a phone that can video. If someone wants to video your child (or you) it is the simplest thing to do.

So I think it's unduly precious to be worried about school social media (which is meant to be a fun thing!).

Leaving the house is necessary. Posting your child on social media isn’t.

It happens. All the time. Why are you minimising an actual issue?

For me there’s also the issue of consent as well as safety. I’ve never posted pics of dc on social media because I believe whether or how they appear and exist in the digital media world should be their choice, when they’re mature enough and informed enough to make that decision for themselves. Young people are so burdened now by the issue of the social pressures around their identities and appearance thanks to online media. I want to ward that off for mine for as long as possible.

Let’s be honest, when you can cheaply buy actual CSA images I’m not sure this is quite the temptation you imagine.

My children have permission to be photographed but in 11 cumulative years of primary neither has been published so I question how much of an isssie it actually is in your average primary school. They likely update their website showing less than 10 children once every 5 years and most schools don’t post streams of activity on social media.

we have a dad in the class what’s app group who has been banging on about the dangers of photos on social media for 7 years, he’s absolutely obsessed and also loves the attention of arguing about it (on WhatsApp ironically). His daughter is a strange little girl- as you’d expect- and also massively anxious at events photos are taken ie Christmas play- to the point she gets physically ill. Everyone feels sorry for her

It’s a minuscule risk! You put yourself above risk every time you walk your children down the street/ get in a car. They are more likely to be hurt by a car than a stranger in the internet.

My DS’s form tutor was found guilty of accessing CSAM online after he’d been in the school for a number of years. He would’ve had access to the form photo and probably other school pics in hard copy as well as online. My take is these people lurking everywhere in person and online so it’s best to safeguard your children as much as you can, but you can’t completely shield them.
My children are years out of school now - back in the day I did consent to images but no AI. then, or such ubiquitous SM when they were children (under age of consent).