Page 3 | Back to school pics on social media

NerrSnerr · 03/09/2025 19:26

literalbinbag · 03/09/2025 19:23

I’m probably going in too hard on the Brownie leader part because of the unit I’m involved with. But what happened before the days of SM? We had to wait to show people actual copies of photos. Why does EVERYTHING have to be on SM. My DF took a photo of me every day from I was born until I started primary school - ranging from “mildly cute baby” to “trainee sumo wrestler” to “starting primary school” - they (thankfully) remain in physical photo albums

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But you don’t need to send a reminder out to parents because of your preferences. That is up to them. If they’re posting pictures of groups of Brownies then fair enough if they don’t have permission but back to school pictures is not your concern and overstepping your role.

Gwenhwyfar · 03/09/2025 19:32

If it's a friend's child, it's likely that I know their name and I could also give a good guess which school they go to so makes no difference if they actually write these things, does it?

sundayfundayclub · 03/09/2025 19:34

As per that linked article

"The bank is forecasting that "sharenting" will account for two-thirds of identity fraud facing young people by the end of the next decade and will cost £667m per year."

Is the bank talking rubbish?

sundayfundayclub · 03/09/2025 19:35

Even with a private account you can't stop people sharing your photos.

CountryQueen · 03/09/2025 19:44

literalbinbag · 03/09/2025 19:23

I’m probably going in too hard on the Brownie leader part because of the unit I’m involved with. But what happened before the days of SM? We had to wait to show people actual copies of photos. Why does EVERYTHING have to be on SM. My DF took a photo of me every day from I was born until I started primary school - ranging from “mildly cute baby” to “trainee sumo wrestler” to “starting primary school” - they (thankfully) remain in physical photo albums

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What has it got to do with you? You’re a volunteer leader at brownies not social services ffs 🤣

ShesTheAlbatross · 03/09/2025 19:45

NerrSnerr · 03/09/2025 19:26

But you don’t need to send a reminder out to parents because of your preferences. That is up to them. If they’re posting pictures of groups of Brownies then fair enough if they don’t have permission but back to school pictures is not your concern and overstepping your role.

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I agree. I’ve never posted a picture of my DDs online, but I’d find your message quite annoying. It’s not so much of a risk that it needs interference from people it has nothing to do with.

Mother0fTheBride · 03/09/2025 19:46

What if it’s shared with only friends. Or a limited section of their friends. I’m not seeing a problem.

cringeywed · 03/09/2025 19:47

Can’t get worked up about this.

WilliamBell · 03/09/2025 19:48

I would be very put off being in that Brownie pack if I was subject to that level of busybodying about nothing.

DysmalRadius · 03/09/2025 19:52

Newbutoldfather · 03/09/2025 18:27

I never get the weird fear people have over this. Most schools (unless you tell them not to) post pictures of children on their websites

And what if a paedophile does see them? What special power will it give him?

I do think it is almost like an old fashioned superstition of the bogeyman who can catch a child once he sees a picture on line.

What is the rational concern here?

I assume that it's not just the single photo but the details alongside everything else you can learn about them from a parents' profile. It's got to be a lot easier to strike up a rapport with a child (either on person or online) if you know family details from Facebook. If you can say 'I'm friends with your mum, and she told me that you love dogs/went to Alton Towers/went to your friend's birthday party last weekend or similar, they are more likely to trust you.

Also, a lot of posters are mentioning that your kids are in more danger from someone known to you than a stranger - isn't that literally the point? That you're sharing details with people that you used to work with/met when travelling/know from a hobby but wouldn't necessarily vouch for if it came to it?

TheCurious0range · 03/09/2025 19:53

abouttogetlynched · 03/09/2025 18:21

I get what you’re all saying and great if you have a very locked down social media presence or you’re restricting who can see your posts, but I see pictures of kids I’ve never met but would recognise in public just due to their parents posting them online. And parents who I don’t know overly well.
I agree it’s highly unlikely, but it’s not impossible is it? How is it worth it, just so your online friends can say “Aw, so cute… so grown up” etc.
There was a thread last week about people you know who committed crimes, and there were quite a lot who knew people committed of peadophilia and child abuse who you’d apparently never expect of it. A ‘friend’ of mine (ex school friend) who’s DH is a teacher posted a picture of her toddler naked in the bath and then was horrified that someone had reported the picture to Facebook. I just don’t get it.

I've worked with sex offenders for nearly 20 years, never come across one who targeted a child because he saw them in their school uniform on social media tracked them down to the local area of their school and abused them.

Most sex offenders require either opportunity/access (family child, partner's child, neighbour, pupil, cubscout etc) or they are online grooming but older children and not from school photos, on online games, chat forums, Snapchat, tiktok etc. I don't post pictures of ds online, because of the job I do I don't really have a social media presence where I post other than MN which is anonymous.

I think children might not like growing up to see an Instagram account covered in pictures of their every waking moment, but I don't think there's a particular risk of harm attached to a back to school picture unless there are specific circumstances around the child (adopted, abusive parent etc)

cheeseismydownfall · 03/09/2025 19:53

I think people who don't see any problem with this haven't thought carefully enough about it.

When you make your child identifiable online via your public social media, you put them at risk of false familiarity, a grooming 101 tactic. It enables a stranger to gather information about your child that they can use to establish trust. "Hello Sally, how are you? I'm a friend of your mum's. Did you enjoy your weekend on centre parcs? You must be SO excited to be getting a new kitten!".

It doesn't need spelling out how this trust can be exploited.

No amount of stranger danger conversations will enable a primary age child to reliably spot this technique. Every parent has to make their own call about how big they think this risk is, but to say there is NO risk is very naive.

TheCurious0range · 03/09/2025 19:55

cheeseismydownfall · 03/09/2025 19:53

I think people who don't see any problem with this haven't thought carefully enough about it.

When you make your child identifiable online via your public social media, you put them at risk of false familiarity, a grooming 101 tactic. It enables a stranger to gather information about your child that they can use to establish trust. "Hello Sally, how are you? I'm a friend of your mum's. Did you enjoy your weekend on centre parcs? You must be SO excited to be getting a new kitten!".

It doesn't need spelling out how this trust can be exploited.

No amount of stranger danger conversations will enable a primary age child to reliably spot this technique. Every parent has to make their own call about how big they think this risk is, but to say there is NO risk is very naive.

But they will likely know those things if they know the parent anyway and have access to the child, which is what increases the risk

cheeseismydownfall · 03/09/2025 20:04

The NSPCC advice is perfectly clear, and I'm not sure why so many PPs seem to think they know more about children's safeguarding than the national organisation responsible for advising on children's safeguarding.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/news-opinion/2025/how-to-protect-your-childrens-back-to-school-photos/

PollyDarton1 · 03/09/2025 20:10

Someone I know posted a picture of her son, with his name on chalkboard, and the school badge, with her house number and street name (the plaques with 23 Hawthorn Drive kind of ones) on.

She may well have a very locked down profile, but I am someone who knows her in passing from 15 years ago, so hardly a close friend or relative.

My son is upper primary now and doesn’t like photos full stop 😂 But if I do catch one tomorrow I’ll be sure to have neither the badge nor my house number, and we’ve discussed consent about photos online and he’s happy to have them on there (mainly as we have relatives that live in NZ).

iamnotalemon · 03/09/2025 20:10

KrisAkabusi · 03/09/2025 17:58

It is staggeringly unlikely that a paedophile is scouting random social media hoping for a child to snatch. The odds must be incredibly remote, otherwise we would hear about it all the time. I live in Ireland. Every year we read about all these Safeguarding Concerns in the UK with bemusement. It's not considered a secret what school kids go to because everyone knows anyway. It's obvious from the uniforms. People post photos on social media, and nothing happens. Every week the local papers have photos of kids in school or in sport teams, with names ages and approximate address, and nothing happens. It's just not considered risky behavior the way it is in the UK.

It’s not just about kids being snatched is it. It’s about there being photos of children online available for others to misuse.

it amazes me also how many men put photos of their children in their online dating profiles in the apps.

LividYosemite · 03/09/2025 20:11

I'm a teacher. I have shitloads of safeguarding training.

I post my kid online all the time. On FB because I'm ancient. My page is restricted to my friends. I don't see this as an unnecessary risk.

I'd save my worry for the women who have new partners all the time and introduce them to their kids, and quickly have them living in their homes. That's an actual, quantifiable risk I'd spend time worrying about. (Saying this as a single parent myself.)

sundayfundayclub · 03/09/2025 20:11

Also, a lot of posters are mentioning that your kids are in more danger from someone known to you than a stranger - isn't that literally the point?

Quite

SummerFrog25 · 03/09/2025 20:13

KrisAkabusi · 03/09/2025 17:58

It is staggeringly unlikely that a paedophile is scouting random social media hoping for a child to snatch. The odds must be incredibly remote, otherwise we would hear about it all the time. I live in Ireland. Every year we read about all these Safeguarding Concerns in the UK with bemusement. It's not considered a secret what school kids go to because everyone knows anyway. It's obvious from the uniforms. People post photos on social media, and nothing happens. Every week the local papers have photos of kids in school or in sport teams, with names ages and approximate address, and nothing happens. It's just not considered risky behavior the way it is in the UK.

Great to know not everywhere has gone MAD😊

SummerFrog25 · 03/09/2025 20:22

literalbinbag · 03/09/2025 18:44

I’m a Brownie leader. EVERY year without fail I have to send an email out to parents reminding them of the safeguarding rules of “please don’t post pictures of your children in their school uniform with the badge fully visible in front of your front door with house number fully visible”

You're a Brusnue Leader, you don't have to do that, it's over stepping, NONE of your business.

MessageMystery · 03/09/2025 20:25

abouttogetlynched · 03/09/2025 17:49

I have seen countless “back to school” photos on my social media today, but AIBU to be surprised (although I don’t know if I really am) by the number of people who give the names of their DC and show the school they go to?

I know I know these people, but some are ex work colleagues, ex school pals etc - people whose kids I have never met. Who else is on their social media that they don’t know that well who can see this stuff?

I’ve counted 5 today who are teachers and have posted their primary aged kids with name and school shown. Shouldn’t they know better? Like from safeguarding POV?

I saw a back to school pic on a friends Facebook today, the child was wearing full school uniform, the post mentioned what year she was going into and in the background was the outside plaque complete with house number and street. I was mortified!

SummerFrog25 · 03/09/2025 20:25

parakeet · 03/09/2025 18:57

Yeah this sort of self-aggrandising lecturing is so tedious. We'll post pics of our kids if we want because most of us think this is silly scaremongering

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Exactly.

'stay in your lane'sorings to mind

SummerFrog25 · 03/09/2025 20:27

PosiePetal · 03/09/2025 18:58

I was a Scout Leader. We never did this! It’s up to parents what they post on social media and school is nothing to do with Brownies or Scouts.

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👍🏻

KrisAkabusi · 03/09/2025 20:28

It’s not just about kids being snatched is it. It’s about there being photos of children online available for others to misuse.

It's not like there aren't photos of kids everywhere on the Internet though. As a previous poster pointed out, there's loads of them on Mumsnet ads alone. And in the highly unlikely event that someone misused a photo of my kids in school uniform, I would probably never know. They'd either keep it themselves or on the dark web, not somewhere I would ever see it.

SummerFrog25 · 03/09/2025 20:31

NerrSnerr · 03/09/2025 19:26

But you don’t need to send a reminder out to parents because of your preferences. That is up to them. If they’re posting pictures of groups of Brownies then fair enough if they don’t have permission but back to school pictures is not your concern and overstepping your role.

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Absolutely.