To loathe back to school photos on social media?

[blueskyeve]

I'm clearly in the minority after scrolling through my Facebook feed today. Every single post on there is a photo of a child posing in their school uniform. Why? Please someone explain, I must be missing something.

I like looking at photos from when they first started school to now.

I like see other peoples children too

Because thus morning I had an array of fb memories, including dd3s first day at school. She's 14 now.

I think it's weird because nobody is interested apart from the parents so I don't know why people sont just take a photo fir themselves. I feel the same way about other people's holiday photos too. But it's very easy to just scroll past!

I never put photos on FB but my phone does the thing where it comes up with memories of photos I have taken a year or so ago.

I don’t loathe them OP but I do find them tiresome. I’m not on Facebook anymore but use instagram and it’s all that was on my feed this morning. I like being friends with old colleagues, old uni friends etc., it’s nice to see what they’re up to, but honestly I don’t really care that their kids went back to school (because of course they did?!). I got sent photos of my nieces and nephews, plus closest friends kids. Those I appreciated. Just because I like keeping connected with people I once knew doesn’t mean I appreciate a sea of children in school uniform. But I don’t loathe them, I just scroll on by.

Summed it up in a lot less words than me.

Tbh I don’t mind holiday photos (the odd one!), I think the thing I find boring is when I’m seeing the same photo over and over but with a different kid. See also: pumpkin patch photos.

Why do you hate them op? Do you have bad memories of school or something? If not then you sound a bit miserable really. There is a lot of crap going on at the moment so anything cheerful has got to be a good thing.
Just out of interest, what sort of thing so you post on social media.OP?

I only have close friends that I have made through work and my family on Facebook so if I'm sharing photos it is the same people I would send them to on watsapp. I don't detail every event or outing that we attend but do post pics or my children on their birthday, back to school (it was my son's first year this year) etc.

You need to have a cull because it sounds like you've added every Tom, Dick and Harry you've ever met on there and as a result have no connection to them or their lives. Yabu.

Why is Pete seeing Sally's posts if they aren't friends and/or know each other in real life? And if they know each other in real life, then they've probably already got access to that kind of information anyway.

Maybe don't have a public Facebook account and keep privacy settings locked down and only have real,life family and friends following you would be a better message/warning.

I’m not sure why it evokes such strong feelings. I mean, “loathe”? Surely at worst it’s disinterest or indifference.

I wouldn’t post them myself but I do quite enjoying seeing those from friends who I see in real life. Those that I’m not interested in just wash over me.

I love seeing how the babies I once knew are growing up, and the comments about how tall they are, don't they look smart etc. My baby is 14 and over 6'.... some of his peers I met lying on mats in the HV clinic all those years ago are even taller/broader/manlier. I like the marking of time.

Pedo Pete is scrolling Facebook. Sees silly sallys post about little Lilly’s first day at woodya belive school. Pete gets to the school before sally tells little Lilly mumma sent me she’s running late Lilly belived him he knows her name after all and where she is.

1. Privacy settings. 2. School won't let Lilly go home with an unapproved adult 3. Lilly has been educated by Sally not to go off anywhere, at any time, with anybody unless they say their password or she asks Sally first. 4. If Pete already knows Sally and Lilly, the chances are he'll have access to Lilly anyway. And he's probably her uncle.

Uncomfortable, isn't it? Most abuse happens at the hands of a person the child knows well. That's why parents like me focus on 'trusted person' rather than 'adult' and talk openly about inappropriate touching and the kind of methods an abuser might use.

With social media it's social engineering and phishing that you need to worry about, not Paedo Pete.

Why are you assuming they have 100s of friends?

Honestly I don’t really pay much attention to my social media because I keep it for messenger and for my cousin who doesn’t have whatsapp. I probably should go through it but then I don’t post much to feel like I have to curate it to be locked down as much as I would if I was using it to post regularly or share sensitive updates.

My point is it’s my issue because people don’t see an issue with sharing this information with me and people like me, so I scroll on by. For a lot of people Facebook is a graveyard of acquaintances and a cluster of friendships not on life support. Some people curate it, but I’d say it’s the majority of people I see on my >300 friends list are kids I’ve never met but would recognise and know all about if I saw them on the street. Social media is odd. It’s a personal thing though - I don’t judge people who share and if they feel ok with it it’s down to them.

I'm more annoyed about people posting 100 photos of their holiday in Benidorm/at Longleat/safari. I love seeing a handful of pics showing them on holiday, but I don't need every meal, trip and bingo game.

I'm pretty sure this doesn't happen.
Firstly, if random, unknown to the family peadophiles were regularly snatching kids from schools then we'd know about it.

Secondly, if they are known to the family they'll have access to this information anyway.

Thirdly, schools don't just hand children over to anyone. They won't even let another parent from the school take them without your permission even if they know they've collected them in the past.

Ridiculous but predictable post 🙄

Safeguarding concerns doesn't just mean peado Pete.

I'd advise to make sure security is high and photos are shown only to close family and friends even if there were no pedo Pete's in the world because:

Photos that can be viewed by anyone can be used by anyone.
This includes children bullying your child.
Advertising your address to bullies gives said children a good opportunity to target it.
This also goes for posting 'funny stories' about your child, parents who post cute poo.poo stories when they are a toddler etc.

Personally I think we need to be setting a good example regarding privacy on Facebook and that includes minimising public content by those too young to consent.

This doesn't mean you can't do the photos. Just be smart, you can change privacy settings for each post so you can choose who to share it with. Do the photo indoors instead of next to your house number.

Young people deserve privacy.

What a strong reaction! You could, of course, just scroll on by. But, if it were me, I'd be curious as to why I was having such a strong reaction to something so innocuous. What I see is an understandable marking of time by parents. I'm sure if I'd had kids (or wanted them), I would have done the same. Instead, I smile, like, scroll on and think about other things.

I enjoy watching friends post about their kids. Some friends have long, painful stories of loss or of trying to conceive, so for them it's a lovely moment they want to share. I wouldn't begrudge anyone that moment. And if it bugged me (for whatever reason), I'd just log out of social media for a few days.

"Why? Please someone explain, I must be missing something."
Social media is full of people who think the world is interested in them and their kids
They do not get that no one else gives a poo

I belong to a Facebook page specifically for childless not by choice women. We take the piss out of these pictures there. Some of us share pictures of our pets in ties etc.

that's only true if you're the sort of person that adds everyone you've had a brief encounter with as a "friend". I only have actual close friends and family. You know, people who are actually interested.

Don’t be on social media if you don’t give a poo about other people’s lives

I agree with all of this. I think this is the most reasonable post. Definitely don’t begrudge people sharing and I think this is the scenario I’d be most happy with if I was a kid growing up.

Don’t look at them then.