Do you post your kids pictures on social media?

[golden547]

I'm having a baby really soon and have had comments from people saying they can't wait to see pictures on my social media, but I'm unsure if I actually want to post my child's pictures online. There's just something about it that makes me feel uneasy.

Do you post pics of your kids? If not, why?

Was that about Wren Eleanor?

might be a little controversial and I feel so alone in this subject but we decided that when our little girl was born we would not post any pictures of her on social media and asked family and friends to do the same. I find myself having to ask strangers at friends dos and photographers at weddings to not post pictures of our little ones. When did it become acceptable to post pictures of your children without asking? It’s honestly draining and I just needed to rant. I don’t judge anyone else for posting pictures of their LO’s but is anyone else the same as me and doesn’t post pictures??

@Mum2under2 definitely not alone. I feel there's a growing trend now for parents not to want their children splashed over social media. I think in 20 years time people will look back and wonder how it was ever acceptable to put photos of children out there on the internet without their consent. I think the way that parents have plastered their kids online will be seen as a temporary blip, and social media will be used a lot more widely and sparingly

When Dd was small up to toddler age I used Facebook a lot (2006-2009ish) & I'd post stuff but since then I just send pictures by email. DB's kids were never put on SM at their DM's request. (DN was born in 2004).

I also keep my SM on private and only six accounts can follow it.

DN & DD now post their own stuff but quite often DD doesn't show her full face.

I don’t post any pictures or anything about my Dc, they don’t exist on social media. I don’t post a lot though, a little on X but that’s it. I feel that it’s not appropriate to post theiir pictures until they are old enough to make that choice themselves. Dc1 is like me, I can’t stand my picture being out there, taken etc. I try and respect their privacy, personal space, I would have been mortified if my mum posted my picture on social media in any way had it been a thing back then.

Yes because my account on FB is private to family and friends only. I don't really have anything else social media wise

I don’t. Everyone thinks I’m a bit mad because of it, but my thinking is my DTs can’t consent to their images being posted online (they’re only 5!) and until they’re able to consent I’m erring on the side of caution. There’s 2 pics of my DD posted by others (1 event, 1 sil pic), and 1 of my DS online from an event we went to but that’s it.

I’ve no opinion on what other parents choose for their kids, but this just feels right for mine.

Well I'm not on social media so it's a moot point. I cannot understand any of it TBH and find it depressingly symptomatic of our narcissistic age. I am barely interested in the minutae of my own life, let alone anyone else's. I think it is very wrong to include images and most especially videos of ANY other people without their proper consent - and a child obviously cannot give their informed consent. A friend of mine took a video of me and her at a concert with both of us singing (squaking in my case) and put it on Facebook. She knows my feelings on social media and I was really pissed off but let it go because she is a very good person and saw no harm.in it. But I'll never let her put me in that position again.

@Mum2under2 Both myself and DH have had moans at people for taking pictures of the kids and planning to put them on their sm accounts. They mostly think we’re odd and private people who are a bit over protective. I’ve had people come round for dinner, bbq’s and take pictures of our home to post, kids etc they look aghast when I we say no and delete please. I have no issue with the school pictures, cubs etc.

no I don't post pictures or information about my DC online. there is one photo of DC1 on Facebook as I donated milk and it was a photo the milk bank took of us both. none of DC2.

I follow an old friend on Instagram and he posts pics of his kids and wife on there. last time I was in the local area in tesco I recognised his wife and DC from Instagram (he wasnt with them), I've never met them before but I knew exactly who they were. it just felt odd.

lots of people post date of birth and significant milestones etc (as well as the day to day stuff) and obviously some of that is sensitive information.

Another person I know of, just from baby group, I know where she lives and the DoB of all 4 of her DC. not stalking! just basic viewing of her social media.

No

and FB etc privacy settings are all too easy to hack into (if someone wanted to)

No. Mainly because I don't want to give all ownership of photographs of my family to Meta corporation. Also my children aren't in a position to consent to it and I don't want to do something that they resent when they are old enough to understand. Then there's privacy. I don't put pictures of myself on either.

I do but very infrequently - maybe twice a year. Might document a birthday or update my profile picture to acknowledge their existence. I don’t agree with mastering children all over social media and documenting everything they do there. My DH isn’t on Instagram or Facebook, and feels very strongly about that, which I balance with the desire to share a very infrequent update with more distant family and friends.

This. There are so many many vile evil predatory men out there.

Same with people who post checks ins. Don't do it. Great way to get your house broken into.

I don't have kids but one of my friends posts lots of photos of her child, but never of her face. It's always from behind or with an emoji sticker stuck on her face. So weird, makes me wonder why bother posting at all. Also surely makes people think there must be something 'wrong' with the child's face.

yes i post pics of my kids on SM

No. I don't allow anyone else to either which caused issues 🙄

Facebook is very easy to hack so only possible for a select group isn't safe either.

Yes. And despite schools telling parents not to film and out things on SM - parents will. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yes but not often. I have private accounts and have less than 100 followers and I personally know amd have met every single one, actual friends and family. I have a cull every so often to keep the list current. I tend to post the odd holiday snap or if we are visiting somewhere interesting or on their birthdays. I love seeing my friends children grow up, I live 140 miles away from my school friends and don't get to visit often.

No

No.

• privacy
• dignity
• consent
• commercial use
• security
• profiling
• exploitation / harmful use
• bullying

A couple of specific examples - your face, eyes, ears, are biometrics. It’s easy to clone these from a photo. Biometrics are increasingly a leading personal security measure (banking, passports, CCTV). Why give our children’s away before we know the consequences of this?

Training of AI models. Profiling - eg one day private health insurance companies will evaluate how much people pay based on a profile of their lives to date which could include an assessment of their childhoods as documented on social media by their parents. Social media companies can be obliged to give this data to insurance companies or might sell it.

i see two classes of adults emerging - lucky ones whose parents didn’t expose them to all this through childhood and gifted them privacy and informed choice once they are old enough to make it. And the unlucky ones not given the choice who now have to face harmful / damaging consequences of having their lives documented on social media - including future consequences we can’t yet predict.

Never. I’m pretty sure I have never even mentioned the fact I have a child online. I want them to have a completely clean slate when they grow up in terms of online profile.

I also make it clear to others that I don’t want my child’s image shared on their accounts if they happen to be included in photos with my child.

Due to the nature of my work I barely have an online presence at all. The only photos of me and my DH online are the ones attached to our LinkedIn profiles.

I have tight privacy yet I didn't until they were old enough to ask if it was OK.
I only rarely post a picture and show them the picture and ask if I can every single time.

Yes but I only have family and real friends on FB.

I wouldn't if I had hundreds of randoms like many.

Nope.

What Is "Sharenting" and What Are the Risks? - Tinybeans
In 2023, most children have a digital footprint before they are even born. While sharing images online can be a way to show your child’s milestones with distant relatives and friends, especially in light of the pandemic and travel plans being halted, there’s a difference between sharing and oversharing. The “Sharenting” (parents oversharing on social media) trend is still on the rise but many parents are starting to reconsider where and how often they share images of their kids online.

Consider the Message You Are Giving Your KidsAs parents, we are constantly telling our kids about the risks of using social media and teaching them about online safety. But, we then ignore our own advice when posting photos of them. "It's our job to teach and model online literacy and safety," says Dr. Markham. "When children grow up routinely seeing photos of themselves online, they think it's the norm. We're inadvertently teaching them that they have no privacy and no control over their online image."