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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to post a photo of my own child taken at a school assembly on FB?

91 replies

Tinklewinkle · 14/10/2013 09:22

I'm not the world's most prolific Facebook user, I've got about 40 friends on there at most, I live away from my family so I mainly use it so my parents can keep up with what my children up to

I took DD to school this morning and got a telling off as it had been reported to the head that I had posted a picture on Facebook that was taken at school. I couldn't think of any pics that I had on FB that they could possibly be talking about but apologised and said I'd take it down.

Since getting back home I've trawled through my pics, and DH's pics to remove the photo but there's only 1 that we have on there that was taken at school and it is only of my own daughter.

My youngest daughter won an award at school a couple of weeks ago and I took a photo of her with the award at school. I cropped it before posting it so there was no one else in it - you can just about make out a bit of the shoulder of the child she's standing next to in one corner and you can see the wall of the school hall behind her (just a plain brick wall). No faces or anything, you can't even see the uniform logo on her jumper as she's holding up her certificate in front of her and it covers the logo

Now, I have never, and would never post pics with other children in on FB, but my own child?

OP posts:

ThisIsBULLSHIT · 14/10/2013 10:25

I suppose it's because there is a blanket rule. We have that rule.

Some people would post pics with other children in so there has to be a rule.

I see LOADS of this on my fb page and I always email the friend and tell them they can't put other people's chn on fb.
As above, there are always certain chn who must not be identified for whatever reason.

However if you didn't sign anything to say you wouldn't upload pics then YANBU. I would ask for clarification from the head if I were you.

ThisIsBULLSHIT · 14/10/2013 10:27

Xpost. But also twinkle you can't be sure that there aren't chn in the school who are not looked after or need to be kept away from someone abusive etc!

obv there wasn't anyone else in your particular photo but if the rule is not uniformly applied then other people are likely to add pics of other chn.

moldingsunbeams · 14/10/2013 10:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

harticus · 14/10/2013 10:29

They put photo's of the kids at school in local newspapers so I can't see this being any different to facebook.

Because the parents of those children whose photos are in the local paper have signed a disclaimer ALLOWING pictures to be used.
There is a massive difference between that and random pictures being posted on FB WITHOUT permission.

morethanpotatoprints · 14/10/2013 10:29

If there is nobody else recognisable in the photo tell them to shove it.
From what I can remember as long as you blank out faces of other individuals you can post anything you like.
Safe guarding is that and nothing to do with pictures of your own child.
Ask them what their problem is, but don't take it down, they have no right to ask.

friday16 · 14/10/2013 10:30

I suppose it's because there is a blanket rule. We have that rule.

It's cargo cult child protection, box ticking and arse-covering.

It is simply not possible to prevent people from posting photographs taken in a school. There are too many cameras, too many parents, too many opportunities and too many websites. You need to deal with reality, not the "everyone follows the rules" fantasy.

friday16 · 14/10/2013 10:34

But also twinkle you can't be sure that there aren't chn in the school who are not looked after or need to be kept away from someone abusive etc!

Sure. And the same goes for a photograph taken of the crowd at a Manchester United game.

Protection measures which rely on everyone, no matter how tangentially involved, religiously following a rule that is neither proportionate nor enforceable are simply pointless.

A simple question: why is it that "no photographs at school events" policies are not imposed by secondary schools? Is it because (a) secondary schools don't contain abused, adopted or otherwise at risk children or (b) the schools realise that such policies are entirely unenforceable and protect the children involved by other means?

Original poster

Tinklewinkle · 14/10/2013 10:41

But also twinkle you can't be sure that there aren't chn in the school who are not looked after or need to be kept away from someone abusive etc!

I know there are, which is why I have never, and wouldn't ever post a picture with another child in without that child's parent/guardian's permission, whether in school premises or my own friend's kids on the beach

A blanket "only post pics of your own kids on FB" rule, is no harder to enforce than a blanket "do not post any pics on FB" rule.

Both are relying on parents followng their rules, the Head has no way of checking people's private FB pages

OP posts:

DoJo · 14/10/2013 11:19

I agree with other posters that the Guardian article linked to does not really address any of the issues that are usually associated with photography bans such as looked-after children, domestic abuse, witness protection etc. It seems to be just as hysterical about the misuse of the data protection as those it accuses, and doesn't really address the very real issues that many children face.

sugarman · 14/10/2013 11:30

Interesting.

We have a school facebook page.

Maryann1975 · 14/10/2013 11:33

The way I look at this argument, is that, if I wanted to, I could stand on the high street in town and take a photo of anyone I liked. No one can stop me and I could probably be discreet enough that no one would know. I wouldn't because I'm not crazy, but once that photo has been taken, the photographer can do what they want with it and if they want to put it on Facebook, they can. Unless you stay in your house all the time, you don't know who has an image of you on their camera.

I'm not sure if banning parents from taking photos at school is completely enforceable. Parents like me who don't have fancy phones, would probably comply, but how would you know if someone is making a call/texting or taking a photo. Social media is so vast I don't think it's possible to keep tabs on every single photo that is taken.

Op, I think the school is BU to ask you to take the photo down.

Original poster

Tinklewinkle · 14/10/2013 11:34

sugarman - yes, so do we.

We obviously sign a disclaimer allowing pictures to be published, but if they can post them, why can't I?

OP posts:

Retropear · 14/10/2013 11:34

Yanbu

Fail to see how they can enforce it.

It's your child,no other child is in the pic or the logo.

Methinks your head has rather too much time on his/her hands.

BackOnlyBriefly · 14/10/2013 11:35

We have got to a point where people say 'if it makes even one child safer it must be a good thing'

Consider that making all the children wear masks would make them safer. Those currently being 'hunted' couldn't be found so easily and no adult could say "hello sally, your mum told me to pick you up" because they wouldn't know who she was".

So anyone who objects to the forced covering of all children's faces 24/7 must be evil/negligent right?

It would also make it safer if we removed all non-parental access to the roads used by children to get home. We could put up police barriers and signs and divert traffic at the start and end of the school day.

We could also ensure that any shops they might visit on the way are staffed by people carefully CRB checked.

I'm sure people could come up with more silly ideas. It makes kids safer so no matter how ludicrous it must be good.

This 'safety at all costs' is how we got to the stage where we have posters saying "is it ok to leave my 16yo alone while I cross the road to post a letter"

HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel · 14/10/2013 11:39

So basically she is telling you that you cannot post a picture of your own child on your own FB page ???
Someone needs retraining.

sugarman · 14/10/2013 11:41

I think you can. I think they are being ridiculous. We don't have any of these rules at our school.

sashh · 14/10/2013 11:45

YANBU no other child was in the photo, the head has no right to interfer with what you do with photos of your own child.

Unless it has a ban on photos taken in the school, which this school does.

There is a whole other argument about whether this is reasonable or not or the reasons for it.

OP you have broken a school rule, no matter how stupid or sensible it is you have put a picture in the public domain taken at the school.

HardFacedCareeristBitchNigel · 14/10/2013 11:47

Having had a dig around, the school's policy on social media is that you may post photos taken on school premises on FB/etc if you have the permission of parents/guardians of all children in the photo. I'm going to email the head with a copy of the photo to make sure she's got the right person

You should write yourself a note giving yourself permission to use the photo and scan that in too ;D

friday16 · 14/10/2013 11:59

once that photo has been taken, the photographer can do what they want with it and if they want to put it on Facebook, they can

It's not obvious that's actually the case in law, although it's clearly the case in practice.

Personal use is not covered by the Data Protection Act (S.36, if we're keeping score).

Were it to come to court, and I suspect it's a battle the information commissioner would want to fight only slightly more than cutting his leg off with a rusty saw, the discussion would be as to what extent posting a picture on Facebook for non-commercial purposes constitutes personal, family or household affairs (including recreational purposes). Is posting it to Facebook different to uploading it to Shutterfly in order to get some prints made? What if you then send those prints to your granny, who would otherwise have seen the picture on Facebook?

friday16 · 14/10/2013 12:00

OP you have broken a school rule, no matter how stupid or sensible it is you have put a picture in the public domain taken at the school.

And how would the school propose to enforce this rule?

friday16 · 14/10/2013 12:02

the issues that are usually associated with photography bans such as looked-after children, domestic abuse, witness protection ... the very real issues that many children face.

The presumed issues that a tiny, tiny number of children face. These rules are weakly enforced and are not even attempted at secondary schools. Cases in which children are tracked down via photographs posted on Facebook by third parties are unimaginably rare (has there ever been one?)

TheBigJessie · 14/10/2013 13:04

it. But I've never seen "but they do/don't do it!" as much of an argument for anything on its own!

Meanwhile, there's been enough first-person accounts on Mumsnet of violent exes tracking women down thanks to school photographs that I don't doubt it happens.

TheBigJessie · 14/10/2013 13:06

First part of message was cut off:

If secondary schools do not bother, that may reflect that secondary-aged pupils are expected to know the issues that affect them and act accordingly.

Or it may reflect that the schools don't know how to handle it. But I've never seen "but they do/don't do it!" as much of an argument for anything on its own!

Meanwhile, there's been enough first-person accounts on Mumsnet of violent exes tracking women down thanks to school photographs that I don't doubt it happens.

MrsBucketxx · 14/10/2013 13:14

What if you say no.

What then, they dont have a leg to stand on legally. Dictator head teachers again

YoureBeingADick · 14/10/2013 14:19

"How well is the "pupils will not use mobile phones during school hours" policy working at your local secondary?"

I have no idea as my dcs are at primary where phones are removed from any pupil found using it during school hours.

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