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Original poster

Do you post pictures of your children on social media?

252 replies

Leefygreen · 09/04/2019 19:28

I use social media quite a lot, I've been posting pictures of DC since I started to use facebook and then instagram so when my oldest was around 4 and there's pictures of my other children from birth to now. It's nice to have them there to look back on but I do wonder sometimes whether I should, I find some of my own childhood pictures a bit embarrasing. My DC aren't too bothered by it, youngest is too young understand, middle one couldn't care less, my oldest is a teenager now so she cares a little more and I ask her permission before posting anything of her. Most people I know also post pictures of their DC regularly, I only know a couple who don't at all

OP posts:
Loopytiles · 09/04/2019 21:26

Once or twice a year. I think it’s disrespecting the DCs’ privacy.

MumUnderTheMoon · 09/04/2019 21:27

My dd has her own Instagram. She's 11 and very into fashion and street art. But I cover her face with stickers so she isn't identifiable. If you have strict privacy settings then I see no harm but if your profiles are public then I personally don't think you should post photos of your kids. You don't know who's looking at them or why.

YeOldeTrout · 09/04/2019 21:28

... and grand kids, too, plenty of them

JazzyBBG · 09/04/2019 21:29

I do but although it may look like I post a fair lot about them I am actually really selective... no revealing outfits, none in the bath, none showing pants etc etc which sounds sensible but I see so many people that post pictures with all these things that make me cringe!

Also I don't let school or clubs post any photos of them as I don't trust their judgement.

Gertie75 · 09/04/2019 21:34

I do but nothing embarrassing, I'm really into photography so take my camera pretty much everywhere and get a huge amount of pleasure from looking at other people's photos and sharing my own.

I don't post photos of just them all the time, I do landscapes, macro, street photography etc so they're a small percentage of what I share. I'm probably "hidden" on a lot of my friends pages because they're sick of seeing yet more photos.

If they ever ask me not to post any with them on then I'll stop and will be happy to alter the privacy from friends to just me.

AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 09/04/2019 21:35

Not very many now he's an adult but when he was a child I did. He prefers to be behind the lens now. He has very few photos on his own social media. My own profile is private because of my job.

polarpig · 09/04/2019 21:35

No. I didn't post any at all until they were old enough to decide for themselves and then they said that they didn't want any photos on social media and I respect that - it's their choice not mine.

alliejay81 · 09/04/2019 21:42

Yes all the time. I have a ten year old. I occasionally show him what i've posted and if he doesn't like it I'll remove it.

I use the same rules for him that I would for myself or my friends. Nothing embarrassing. It works for us and it feels a better teaching for his using SM in the years to come than a blanket ban. I will only post pictures of other people's kids if I'm 100% sure they are ok with it.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 09/04/2019 21:45

No, what they do once they are adults in social media is upto them but whilst children its upto us and we don't share that way. We have millions of photos but can look at them without FB etc.

WorraLiberty · 09/04/2019 21:46

The thing is, how can parents teach their children/teenagers that their self-worth is about so much more than their looks, when they've been posting their images online for years?

Teenagers can get very upset and take it very hard if they don't get many likes and comments on the pics they post of themselves. This can lead to all sorts of self-esteem problems and worse.

How can you comfort and guide them, when they know full well that their parents would've been just as upset, if they also got no likes/comments on their baby/child photos?

They're not going to fall for the 'Oh I only posted them on FB so Aunt Nellie in Scarborough could see them'. They'll know you didn't email or text them to Aunt Nellie, because you wanted everyone on your friend list to admire them too.

MrsCollinssettled · 09/04/2019 21:50

Nothing since someone shared a pic of DC from my account with XH (who was blocked from my account). DC was posing with a gift from a friend of mine. XH promptly then used the pic as his profile pic on Facebook and claimed credit for the giftAngry. Lesson learned how easy it is for other people to manipulate your photos.

GreenTulips · 09/04/2019 21:52

Lesson learned how easy it is for other people to manipulate your photos

Totally agree

BloggersNet · 09/04/2019 21:52

I posted a lot of photos of my dc1 when he was a baby. Stopped when he was about 3-4 and now only post occasionally.

polarpig · 09/04/2019 21:54

But I cover her face with stickers so she isn't identifiable.

They are very easy to remove if you don't do it right.

LegoPeopleEverywhere · 09/04/2019 21:56

I only use Instagram and as my account there is public (I'm an artist so it's mostly for promoting that) i don't share any identifying photos of them. Maybe a couple of times a year I will share something that shows the back of their heads (and it'll be more about sharing a photo I find aesthetically pleasing than sharing them per se) but I'm starting to doubt whether even that is ok as they are too young to agree to it and really understand all the implications. I know people who share their children's photos publicly and I think it's gross invasion of privacy and would love to know why they do it!

YeOldeTrout · 09/04/2019 21:57

I don't care if people like my FBk posts or not.

Am I supposed to care about that?
Damn. I keep missing memos.

ScienceIsTruth · 09/04/2019 22:00

I'm not in any social media sites. It doesn't interest me at all and I'm not keen on the control those sites have over your data, photos, etc, once you've uploaded them.

PortiaCastis · 09/04/2019 22:01

Lesson learned how easy it is for other people to manipulate your photos
^
Exactly

ScienceIsTruth · 09/04/2019 22:01

*on

Southlonmum · 09/04/2019 22:03

I think posting pics of kids online is unfair to them and sets a bad precedent. So many people now with their heads down on screens instead of living life. Constant capture and post of images is a distraction from what's important in life and sets a bad example. Beginning in childhood without any consent is not a good start. Try closed groups for sharing with family and friends.

pookoo · 09/04/2019 22:03

I don't for safeguarding reasons.
2 male family members who I do not want to know where we live, or that I even have children.

TheLazyDuchess · 09/04/2019 22:05

Very rarely these days, though I used to quite regularly.

I was deleting old conversations on facebook messenger, when I noticed an unfamiliar name. It was an old conversation with a "friends" old account, I'd mentioned her by name more than once, and I vaguely recognised some of the memes we'd exchanged. But, the profile now had a new name, and it wasn't her in the profile pic anymore. I still had this account added as a friend, they could see everything on my profile. My security setting were pointless. Still not sure if she changed the account info to troll/be nosey, or if wasn't actually her in the first place.

It freaked me out a bit, and I don't have anything personal on there now except the odd opinion on something or if I'm looking for a recommendation. I don't even like to post pics of my pets anymore, as so many have gone missing in my area.

TheLazyDuchess · 09/04/2019 22:06

*privacy not security?

AhhhHereItGoes · 09/04/2019 22:09

I do but it's not very often tbh - few times a year probably.

When DD1 is a bit older (and obviously her sister) then I will ask.

They are 6 and 3.

olderthanyouthink · 09/04/2019 22:09

I do, daily, on my IG/FB stories. I've had a bunch more follows and friendings from extended family and DPs friends (I check who the new random names are) because I don't have contact details for them and DP is pretty crap about contacting people I'm the one who makes sure his family get regular photos of DD.

They're only up for 24hrs and I'd notice strangers looking. There are a couple permanent photos from when she was born but that's it, I've actually been complained at that I don't post more permanent photos like my cousin.

I don't email photos because it's spur of the moment and the one person who inept does email is really annoying to email so I'll sort physical photos for them eventually.