Recently I’ve noticed a pretty disturbing trend on my social media accounts. I’ve seen some pictures of naked babies and small children. These aren’t scandalous or perverted pictures, they’re the ‘in the bath’ shots that every parent cherishes and later pulls out to embarrass their teenagers. They’re innocent and sometimes very cute - but have no place in the public domain.
A Mummy Too recently wrote a really interesting post about image theft, and how her pictures have ended up on other sites. The reality is that any image you believe you’re innocently sharing is searchable, and could very easily get into the grubby hands of someone ‘untoward’. Of course there’s all sorts of things you can do to limit the sphere of who can see your content, but the simplest way to avoid it happening is to not do it at all.
If you simply have to share a picture, at least strategically place bubbles or a toy over your child’s bits and bobs, or crop the picture before sending it live. I’d be mortified if someone at Dexter’s playgroup had a nudey picture of me, a photograph of your child could be passed around the playground in a similar way (and this is the least scary prospect).
By the same token, I’d avoid video reviews of bath time products in case your little ones get too excited. I recently stumbled across a case in point where a little boy and girl were excitedly showing everyone their new bath toys in the tub. No attempt was made to censor their bodies at all. It’s too late to simply remove it from Youtube now - someone could have already copied the video.
It really is sad that we live in an age where something so innocent can be so grossly mistreated. I have no doubt whatsoever that the people sharing such pictures and videos are loving parents who have simply acted naively. A quick google search bought up several blogs I regularly read or would like to read - their regular mummy’s like me and have lovely reviews and thoughtful content. I’m very tempted to email them and warn them but don’t want to frighten them or criticise. For obvious reasons I won’t be naming them.
Other parenting blogs will use pseudonyms or nicknames for their children to protect their identities. I’ve not gone down this route but may consider it as Dex gets older. I wouldn’t want him to be teased in the playground and it seems, unfortunately, that some bloggers have been bit on the bum in this way. One mum (who is ordinarily very careful) recently criticised her child’s school and named a teacher - she was admonished by the Headteacher the very next day. It seems we all forget that ourselves sometimes!
So please do think carefully before showing us your gorgeous little people in the buff - save them for their future boyfriends and girlfriends. Better to be safe than sorry.
I sensor Max’s pictures before going up, if he’s in the bath the bubbles get ‘moved’ if I want to take a snap.
We were on holiday a few years ago and on the news was an item about a couple who had taken pictures of their children and I can’t remember if they got them developed or the laptop went wrong, anyway, the person who was either fixing the laptop or developing the pictures (it was only 3 years ago so I’m thinking it might have been a laptop) reported the parents for having pictures of naked children!!
It was their children!! I’m babbling, let me go see if I can find the artcle
I know. It’s pretty scary. I did a bit of research on Google and several blogs in the first few pages of results had nudey shots. It seems like common sense but obviously some people don’t realise the risks.
I don’t get why anyone would pictures of their children online of them totally nude. i admit that I have taken photos in the bath of my boys but they will always been taken from the top of the stomach upwards or the side of the tub will be blocking any other views.
Surely nowadays people should be more sensible about what they put online.
This is a brilliant post and one i think we should all be aware of. I worry about photos of my children ending up in the wrong hands. I have considered removing all images but i want the children to be able to read the blog when they are older and the words only tell half the story. I think i have been careful with my images but please DM me if you have found otherwise x
I’m with you. As my blog is about my family and Dexter is part of it - I love sharing photos. There’s a massive difference between a beautiful smiling Dexter, and a naked vulnerable one x
totally agree with you, i just don’t get why it wouldn’t occur to people not to do this! but then i dont let my kids go naked infront of people ever. i dont let them play naked in the garden in summer etc, and have been called a weirdo by some for this attitude, but i just feel being naked makes them vulnerable and why would i want to leave them in that vulnerable state???
seen plenty of bath time reviews not showing anything, so it can easily be done in a safe way
Absolutely. I’ve seen some really great bath time reviews too - simply cropping or placing toys over their bits is perfectly fine.
I actually disagree with you pretty strongly on this. Censoring children’s bodies just reinforces the notion that there is something sexual about them; which there isn’t. There is nothing sexual about a child, and it’s not my job as a parent to police how people respond to my son; or in that case how they respond to me. That comes too close to victim blaming for my liking. Hiding children’s bodies just reinforces the notion that there is something to be hidden, and that is dangerous.
A child’s privacy is a different matter; and it’s for THAT reason that I wouldn’t flash pictures of Leo naked around in the playground or whatever. But I have taken naked pictures of him, and I have emailed them to relatives, and they are on the web in various places if people know where to look..
I say again- it’s not my job to police how people react to him.
Interesting. You already know my feelings so I won’t overstate my objections. I don’t disagree with taking pictures of your child naked - there is no doubt whatsoever these are entirely NOT sinister. I’ve got shots of Dex in the nudey too! And I might choose to show these to my family - but I wouldn’t ever post them in a public forum without cropping or censoring. For me it absolutely IS my job to police how other people might react to him - and minimise any risks to his wellbeing.
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