Photo's taken by other parent's at school functions and posted on the internet

[Fenland]

Am i being completely unreasonable in thinking that photos taken at school events of my children by other parents should not be posted on the internet. My nine year old son has sobbed his eyes out over embarrassing photo's posted by another parent on facebook, even after a polite request to take them down she refused. Now to our absolute horror we have found out that there is nothing in the British legal system to protect our child's image being posted on the internet by anyone, the one saving grace was facebook is outside the juristiction of the UK law and parental permission is required for children under the age of 13. Should the UK law be changed for any pictures from events such as sports day, plays ect so parental permission is required before any other parent from the event can post them on the net.

I think what he was doing in the photos is quite relevant actually, as to whether or not there would be sufficient grounds for facebook to take it off.

I do think photo policies are mostly nonsense and not enforcable, especially as most phones can now take photos.

Forgive me if I'm being dim but surely the issue here is that the school policy is that photos are for private use and not to be posted on the internet so by putting them on Facebook the cow mother is breaking school policy. I would write to the head teacher and ask for a written explanation of why they are prepared to overlook this despite any distress caused and make it clear that this is a matter of principle which you are prepared to take to the governors if the school do not address it.

I agree that Facebook is the work of the devil and only you know, OP, if you are being over-protective or not so that's a seperate issue. Personally I have always assured my children that facing a certain amount of crap and embarrassment is character-building (especially when the embarrassment is me :) ) but I would still think the principle is school policy being broken and not enforced

I would echo squeakytoy - do you allow your 9 year old DS to look at Facebook - or did someone else tell him his photo was on it?

I am so pleased I have nothing to do with FB - for all I know there could be lots of photos of me and my family on there .

Facebook will remove and photo of a child under 13 if their parent requests it.

www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=unauthorized_photo_underage

Timidviper at last... this is the issue there is no school policy they are not enforcible whatever they say and whatever a parent signs, the pictures of my son aren't really the issue yea it started this whole thing but on the grand scale of things he's nine he'll go over it and yes there will be worse to come i'm sure. he's not allowed on fb only on my page with my trusted friends to play the games (Ie farmville ect and before anyone goes off on one limited time only). What i'm really wanting to know is does every one think these school policies are enforcible and in place to protect our children xx

You can't blame posters for focusing on the photos instead of the bone dry topic of data protection.

Data protection is very important, but it's not as juicy interesting as an embarrassing photo.

It's for the posters to decide what direction a thread goes in, it's the risk you take as an OP.

You chose to set the scene in the way that you did. Hardly a suprise then that people are interested in what the picture is.

I'm quite normal or maybe some would say not! lol, i'm not really interested if child protection can take down a picture of my son with his sports kit off, what i'm wanting to know was who the hell does enforce this school policy the answer was no one, and are we all getting a similiar one insinuating data protection is?

The law is that you can take photos unless there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

It's arguable whether an event on private property such as a school but attended by many people is somewhere you could expect privacy. I'd argue that it's not and shouldn't be.

I think the issue is that your headteacher doesn't know what she's talking about and has cobbled together a policy to please people who get hysterical about what someone might possibly do with a photo. You now realise that doesn't hold water but at least it sounded good at the time.

The reason I wanted to know what your son was doing in the picture was a valid one. For example, is no-one allowed to publish a picture of their child winning a race if the child who came second is embarrassed?

Like i said my fault, thought if i told what had happened you would understand why this whole thing started off,

sorry first time on here too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oops how to get off on the wrong foot oh well xx

The difficulty is that many parents like sharing pix of school events etc with friends and family online. It's a nice thing to do. It's impossible to police the various permissions etc

Would you object if the school put this embarrassing photo on a notice board with other event pictures?

Forget it Fenland. I was probably being pompous, anyway.

I don't think anyone's been shitty or anything with you fenland, it's been a tame first time, nobody's called anyone else a twat and that's always a result

it's not embarrassing to come second if you tried your best, why would i be that petty!

Has every one head teacher cobbled together the same crap???????????

ps I agree with norman that school events should be shared and enjoyed and hysteria over pictures damages us.

Well if he only plays on farmville he couldnt have seen a picture could he? obviously not just farmville/supervised. Keep him off face book.

Lol maybe i could like you guys !!!! rofl xx

Fenland as someone who habitally came last in the sack race I got over my embarrassment long ago

The one and only time I ever came first in something was at a donkey derby at the Sunshine Holiday Camp, Hayling Island, and then only because everyone else had fallen off. I'd be gutted if the pictures of my triumph and that of my steed Silver Spoon didn't exist.

Yes, I think people in authority do cobble this shit together frequently to avoid having to hurt their brains by answering our questions.

Have a headache never coming on here again xx lol

Goodnight

limitedperiodonly that would truly be a shame if that picture didn't exist xx

Norman school would not have used the photo on the notice board it was not approppiate xx

have we still not found out what was so embarrassing about it?

Dunno tallulah, the OP said 'i'm not really interested if child protection can take down a picture of my son with his sports kit off' and whether that means anything?

YANBU. I would never post photos of someone else's children and certainly not on Facebook.

As these photos have been taken at school events, I would raise it with the school (and name the parent concerned if necessary). I can't believe that another parent would refuse to remove a photo when asked. Absolutely ridiculous.

I think its a shame that people can't be more sensible about photos and facebook. Thankfully, my DDs nursery has a breath of fresh air approach.

When DD started nursery, I signed an agreement agreeing to her photo being used and being put on facebook. Then when events occur, the nursery itself takes photos and puts them up on facebook. I can then share it to my page, to allow my friends and family to see. Its great - the nursery can edit out photos of children whose parents object, I get to see the whole event without having to bother taking loads of photos, but I get the pictures so I can share them with family a few days later. Anyone who does not want their child on FB, just opts out.

Schools often have ridiculous policies, I know of one school that specifically bans you putting them up on facebook / social networking sites, but allows (or doesn't mention) photos on online photo sharing websites. Too often these policies are not thought through, and people just jump on the bandwagon without having common sense.

I agree though that it is madness to get too worked up about it, and I do have to laugh when some people verge on hypocrisy over it - I know of a mum who gets very shirty if her DC appears in the background of a photo "you don't know who is looking at them", but then has gone and allowed her DC to be photographed for the local newspaper!

To judge on whether this particular photo is appropriate, we need to know several more - what the photo was, what the upset boy was doing, is in the front - or just in the background (there are different legal issues involved then), who is able to see them, and so on... Impossible to answer with so little information.