DC's photos on the Internet, what's the problem?

[LightBlueTouchPaperAndRetire]

I know this is going to be an emotive topic, but I'm genuinely curious.
Why do some people get their knickers in a twist about their DCs' pictures being published on the internet?
If there is no indication of where they live, go to school etc, what actual harm can be done?
I know the argument is about 'perverts' doing unspeakable things over the pictures, but as long as your DCs are safe with you what real danger are they in?
Surely that sort of attitude would require never allowing your children in public without a paper bag over their head in case some 'paedo' is off to get his jollies from seeing your children.
Please enlighten me...

Detective Potato-I would ask her (politely) to take them down, or at the very least tighten up her privacy settings.

I'm with the OP. On a similar note a group of us were in parkland where the four year olds stripped off to play in a stream. Some of the mums were worried that there could be paedophiles taking photos and wanted the children to cover up but I feel that any photos taken don't actually harm my son whereas taking away his innocence could.

I do understand why some people want to keep photos out of the public eye though and hope most people use the correct privacy settings or ask for permission in sensitive situations.

Damn, other people have made all the points I was going to.

I'm with the 'it's not a problem for me' crowd. Whilst I wouldn't like the thought of a paedo pasting DD's face onto another child's body, we're unlikely to know about it and it's pretty unlikely to happen in the grand scheme of things.

For us, it's really important to be able to share pictures online as DD was born at 27 weeks and for the first few weeks of her life we gave people daily updates via a photo site as each day she survived was a cause for celebration. We have family and friends scattered all over the world, and to email them all would take too long.

We still post pictures on FB at regular intervals so all the people who were rooting for her during her rocky start to life can see what a cheeky 15 month old she's becoming!

I completely understand that if you're trying to keep your identity/location hidden due to unsavoury pasts that you would be more concerned. However, I don't feel that it's too much of a problem otherwise. Surely if your concern is purely paedos or others using the photos for unpleasant purposes, then whenever the children walk out of the front door, someone COULD be somewhere nearby taking pictures of them that they then use in the same way? Does that mean you are going to home educate and never let the children play outside?

I don't have a problem with it either. I understand the problems with domestic violence and the need for anonymity in such situations but for the average child I don't think it is a big deal.

To me it is on a par with not letting your child out to play without you because you are worried about paedos. What are the chances, really, of your child being the target of paedophiles. Very small I would suggest, and probably even smaller, if you are talking about paedos getting your child's pictures on the internet. Taking that small possibility and the even smaller possibility that any degree of harm would come to my child as a result of a paedo using their photo, it is not something I can't get worked up about.

The real harm comes to the children who are picked up by the paedos in RL, who are the bodies in these pictures, and me taking down my (very few) photos of my DSs is not going to make a jot of difference to the hurt suffered by those poor children.

High risk factors for all the children who are or have previously been in the care system. Sometimes other people take photos of your DCs (friends/rels etc) and you have no control over those, but I guess it's damage limitation.

Agree with the privacy thoughts. There are photos of me on the internet but not of the DCs.

We have digital photos and they have been emailed and it isn't a huge deal for us if they find their way online but I think it is for my DC's to decide whether they want lots of their photo's out there.

Don't like any pics of my children or myself, for that matter, on inet.
The people who matter can see us in person or are sent the pics and they know my dislike of public display of our family photos, so won't post them anywhere.
Because of my ex's position, he and I, by default, had a lot of attantion from the press. Hated it with passion, he took it as annoying part of the job. One of the reasons I ended that relationship was lack of privacy.

I dont put up pics really - mostly because of respect for my dcs privacy.

For me it's got nothing to do with porn; I just plain don't want to have photos of me and mine on websites open to anyone to look at.

Put on the spot, I find it hard to articulate a justification without sounding lame. Bottom line is there is no need to have pics online, so we don't.

That said, the line of "only friends can see them" doesn't hold water for me as any fule knos you can copy pics with a click and then they may appear in some unexpected place.

I don't see why DC's pics have to be on public sites on the Internet to begin with. Sharing it on FB with family and friends only is one thing, but finding family pictures of people that you google is just weird. What on earth are they thinking?! WHY? Do they think, oh someone I vaguely know might google me, I'd like to show them some pics of my kids?

What you don't don't know about can't hurt you.

I enjoy looking at friend's photos and sharing mine on facebook. It would be a shame not to because you are worried about the minor risk of someone using your photos. I'll take the risk.

It is called PRIVACY. Some want privacy, others don't.

If the photos are of other peoples children then you do not have the right to post them all over the internet. (there are laws that cover this, which is why you do not get to see photos of celebs children unless they want you to)

If you do decide to post photos of your own children then that is your right and you just have to hope they do not fall into the wrong hands.

Personally i do not post photos of children online and i am very glad facebook have backed down and installed a panic button for children who use it.

I would not be happy for a man or woman i do not know pleasuring him/herself with a photo of my child (even if it was JUST a photo) but i guess it is up to each individual parent to decide what they are happy with.

I don't mind. Th dc are on their school website and dd is on her stage school website.

However there are some children who for child protection reasons are not allowed to have pictures published and that must be respected.

I would never put pics of dgc on facebook.I wont even have their photos on here-they are not my children.I have one dgd whose mum has put photos of her on facebook but none of the others do.

It's not paedophiles I'm worried about, it's a matter of privacy - I have no desire to have pictures of myself plastered all over the internet so why would I do the same with my children's photos, never mind other people's children? Likewise I cannot understand why people appear on a reality TV show or even publish pictures of themselves on their MN profile page. But each to their own I guess.

I have a close friend who has posted pictures of our children on her FB site (not tagged) - I don't think it's worth making a fuss over it but I was surprised and rather dismayed.

So this cutting and pasting a childs head from face book or eleswehre - and then using the face or baody for pervertion..It is common.

Can I aks how common how many times? is this happening 50x per day per month or 100x per day or month or more or less

Please can we have some figures of at least how many times this has been caught?

Also can we have some evidence of harm it has done to the child - the cutting and pasting that is

This chestnut again...

Once and for all - there is no assumption of privacy in a public place. If you're out and about and happen to get caught in someone's photograph then that's just tough - there is no requirement for the photographer to seek permission to take a photograph or publish said photograph. This applies equally to adults and children.

Some photographers may ask as a courtesy when its feasible / possible but this is not an obligation.

Additionally, some councils will apply restrictions on photography for specific events or locations (for example, leisure centres) but these are an exception.

Also, there are some very specific circumstances regarding vulnerable children when publication of photos may be an issue but these are few and far between.

I have a catalogue of work which is available on line (my own site, Flickr and FB) - all of which has been taken in public places or with the permission of the property owner. This work includes several shots of children.

If I'm asked to remove one then the reply is a simple "no". They're my photographs, I own the copyright. If you don't wish to appear in them then don't go out in public.

You have no right to "privacy" when you're in public. It's uninformed attitudes like this that are killing photography as a hobby. And god help any man out in public with a camera...

i blog, mine's a craft blog so it's only very occasionally that my kids feature. i do know other bloggers who have had their words and images copied and posted elsewhere, without permission. there was even a case of another woman posting images of somebody's children claiming they were her's.

LookToWindward - Yes. But in the social situation of someone you will continue to have to interact with it may be easier to go along with their wishes unless you have a very strong desire to publish that picture. But they have no legal or moral right to compel you to do so.

FFS, your kids are not going to be pasted onto child porn. Well there is a possibility, but there's a possbility of being struck by lightning too, and we don't worry about.

Lot of scaremongering bollocks.

On the whole I am not bothered. I obviously dont like the idea of some pervo drooling over my kids but its not something that would stop me posting pictures.

But I do not post pictures of my 16 year old as I think its a bit rude, I dont tend to talk about him much online either.

I NEVER post pictures of my DS2 because (as Maryz touched on) he is adopted. I know his birth mother. I am not trying to stop her getting hold of pictures to be vindictive, she has a perchant for setting up truely vile webpages and I cannot have my boy's picture on those sites. If you saw them you would know why. Also have to careful of identifying his school. We dont have to worry about where we live because she knows that already but that is a big issue for other adoptive parents (and DV victims).

So its just baby pictures and pictures of my late DD for me. TONS of pics of my lovely girl.