There is a difference between a public park - outside space, and a venue you pay to go into.
There is no control over photo taking in the public park. Many parents these days are very aware of issues about photos (that some children have a past of being at risk and online photos can put them at further risk, or simply that paeodophiles can trawl the internet and choose any seemingly innocent photos of any children that they like the look of) and so CHOOSE not to take them in public places and certainly never post on the internet. They think it’s a sad fact if. Idern society, but they don’t fail against it and decide that their right to take photos tops safety issues.
Soft Play is a paid entry place. It IS possible to have some controls, and because of that, it becomes a safer place for children who have a background of abuse and need particular protection from photos which could be identifying, but also safer for all children too, as parents can know their kids won’t accidentally end up on the internet and accessed by an unsavoury stranger.
When people go to the park, if you like, they take their chances. They cannot guarantee their child won’t have their photos taken or it end up online. They could well slip into the background if a shot in a busy park. Most parents live with that risk and go to the park. Those for whom it’s a very real worry, can choose to avoid the park. However, because the Soft Play is a paid for entry and it’s an activity designed for small kids, further steps can be taken and are taken in a growing number of places, to ensure it’s extra safe, and even children at risk can go, and all parents can be there, feeling it’s a safe and controlled environment.
There are always trade offs with these things. We gain extra safety for our children and knowledge the chances that their photo is far less likely to end up online, with a predator getting off over it (even if we cannot understand how the effect of a small child playing fully clothed in the ball pit has that impact), but the loss is that we are not free to unthinkingly take pics of our kid whenever and wherever we like.
Some people decide this is an infringement of their liberty. They decide that they refuse to be told what to do and will just take photos anyway, because that’s what they want to do. There are people upthread who say exactly that….ignore the rule, they will do what they like where their kids are concerned. They aren’t willing to see the bigger picture beyond what they personally want. Most people feel sad about it, and wish the world wasn’t like this, but understand and comply. They find plenty of other lovely opportunities to take photos.
So this actually becomes a reflection of a bigger thing in society….whether we are willing and able to understand rules that we don’t always like or wish didn’t exist, and adjust our behaviour for the wider good, or whether we refuse to see that bigger picture and only think about what we want.
Sadly, every day, paedophiles do trawl the internet for pictures which have perfectly innocently been put online of children doing things, which seem totally non-sexual to most of us. They also go to places like schools, soft play places and youth groups, often with their own kids, S they can look at children. They look just like regular mums and dads and no-one knows who they are. DBS checks for employees help to stop those people working in places with kids, but it’s very hard to stop them visiting as paying guests. These photo policies just help to add an extra layer of protection.