For parents who don't post pictures of their kids on social media

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

Why would they need to do that when the recipients are already on social media and they can just post the pics and set the audience to whomever they want to see them? You’re weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

That’s right. I forgot for a second that everyone on this forum is a hateful skeptic with miserable family lives who hate their in laws and boomer parents and are
always looking for a fight.


We are a large family and yes it’s easier sometimes to post pics on social media than to text individually every single time. But yes, since you asked, we do that too. Quite often in fact.

You are choosing convenience over privacy and safety. That's fine, but that's a choice you're making. It's easy to label everyone paranoid but the facts are the facts, as someone linked earlier in this thread. Texting exists, email exists, Whatsapp exists. Hell even mail exists. But don't pretend not to know the dangers. It's 2025, we all know the dangers of AI and social media. Just own your choice to let laziness trump your kids' ownership of their digital footprint.

Sigh.

The “dangers” are severely limited if you have a small social media presence that is set in every possible way to private. You could not find any post of my kids online if you tried.

Yes it's notoriously easy to be sure every single person following you has no ill intentions and a secured phone. You should write a book about how you have it all figured out!

Seek therapy. Truly. If you have a therapist, fire them and get a new one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

That’s right. I forgot for a second that everyone on this forum is a hateful skeptic with miserable family lives who hate their in laws and boomer parents and are
always looking for a fight.


We are a large family and yes it’s easier sometimes to post pics on social media than to text individually every single time. But yes, since you asked, we do that too. Quite often in fact.

You are choosing convenience over privacy and safety. That's fine, but that's a choice you're making. It's easy to label everyone paranoid but the facts are the facts, as someone linked earlier in this thread. Texting exists, email exists, Whatsapp exists. Hell even mail exists. But don't pretend not to know the dangers. It's 2025, we all know the dangers of AI and social media. Just own your choice to let laziness trump your kids' ownership of their digital footprint.

Sigh.

The “dangers” are severely limited if you have a small social media presence that is set in every possible way to private. You could not find any post of my kids online if you tried.

Yes it's notoriously easy to be sure every single person following you has no ill intentions and a secured phone. You should write a book about how you have it all figured out!

There you go with the paranoia again!

I think it's funny that you think calling me paranoid is some sort of gotcha. Yes I am paranoid. Bad things happen in the world. I am the only person in the world responsible for my kids safety and I take that very seriously. I'm sorry your kids have a mother that doesn't.

There’s taking things seriously and there’s paranoia.

And you are the final arbiter of that. Congrats.

Listen do whatever you want. Feel free to call me paranoid and I'll feel free to call you a selfish mom who prioritizes her own wants over the safety of her kids. Hopefully nothing bad happens and you don't have to learn the hard way. Have a blessed afternoon!

Oops! You lose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

That’s right. I forgot for a second that everyone on this forum is a hateful skeptic with miserable family lives who hate their in laws and boomer parents and are
always looking for a fight.


We are a large family and yes it’s easier sometimes to post pics on social media than to text individually every single time. But yes, since you asked, we do that too. Quite often in fact.

You are choosing convenience over privacy and safety. That's fine, but that's a choice you're making. It's easy to label everyone paranoid but the facts are the facts, as someone linked earlier in this thread. Texting exists, email exists, Whatsapp exists. Hell even mail exists. But don't pretend not to know the dangers. It's 2025, we all know the dangers of AI and social media. Just own your choice to let laziness trump your kids' ownership of their digital footprint.

Sigh.

The “dangers” are severely limited if you have a small social media presence that is set in every possible way to private. You could not find any post of my kids online if you tried.

Yes it's notoriously easy to be sure every single person following you has no ill intentions and a secured phone. You should write a book about how you have it all figured out!

There you go with the paranoia again!

I think it's funny that you think calling me paranoid is some sort of gotcha. Yes I am paranoid. Bad things happen in the world. I am the only person in the world responsible for my kids safety and I take that very seriously. I'm sorry your kids have a mother that doesn't.

There’s taking things seriously and there’s paranoia.

And you are the final arbiter of that. Congrats.

Listen do whatever you want. Feel free to call me paranoid and I'll feel free to call you a selfish mom who prioritizes her own wants over the safety of her kids. Hopefully nothing bad happens and you don't have to learn the hard way. Have a blessed afternoon!

Oops! You lose.

You sure do like to reply many times in a row.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

That’s right. I forgot for a second that everyone on this forum is a hateful skeptic with miserable family lives who hate their in laws and boomer parents and are
always looking for a fight.


We are a large family and yes it’s easier sometimes to post pics on social media than to text individually every single time. But yes, since you asked, we do that too. Quite often in fact.

You are choosing convenience over privacy and safety. That's fine, but that's a choice you're making. It's easy to label everyone paranoid but the facts are the facts, as someone linked earlier in this thread. Texting exists, email exists, Whatsapp exists. Hell even mail exists. But don't pretend not to know the dangers. It's 2025, we all know the dangers of AI and social media. Just own your choice to let laziness trump your kids' ownership of their digital footprint.

Sigh.

The “dangers” are severely limited if you have a small social media presence that is set in every possible way to private. You could not find any post of my kids online if you tried.

Yes it's notoriously easy to be sure every single person following you has no ill intentions and a secured phone. You should write a book about how you have it all figured out!

Seek therapy. Truly. If you have a therapist, fire them and get a new one.

Wow she really got under your skin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

Why would they need to do that when the recipients are already on social media and they can just post the pics and set the audience to whomever they want to see them? You’re weird.

As people have explained, your kids didn't consent to you uploading their face into the cloud or into facebooks servers. Some parents value giving their kids that choice down the line when they're mature enough to make it for themselves.

Lot of people here playing real dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody cares about your kids. Who do you think you are, a celebrity?

What if I am? Then what?

Then maybe you’d have good reason. But we both know you’re not a celebrity.

I'm sorry you find the need to hawk your kid's childhood out for validation from strangers. Some of us don't have endless pits of neediness that need to be filled with likes at the expense of out children's privacy.

Lol I see we have yet another shrilling extremist on DCUM. There’s such a thing as a happy medium you know.

It depends on what you are worried about. One of the reasons I don't post photos of my kids on social media is that I realized when my first was a toddler that I was doing it, almost compulsively, because it always resulted in a lot of positive feedback. So without being fully aware of it, I would sometimes post a cute photo of my kid as like a pick me up for myself, because I'd immediately get a bunch of likes and compliments and it would make me feel good.

When this dawned on me, I realized I was exploiting my own kid for not great reasons, and I stopped. I have no idea if this is why other people post photos of their kids -- that is other people's business. For me it was a factor, so I stopped. Maybe when my kids are older, if they are interested in posting photos (to private accounts only friends and family can see), I'll start doing it again with their consent. If they are involved and enjoy it, I don't feel so weird about it. But I don't want to use my kids to make myself look better or attract positive attention to myself. That's not what kids are for.

This is one of the most important reasons to me. When I was pregnant with my first a friend told me that she posted a picture of her newborn and would frantically check to see how many likes it got. The idea of putting a number on my baby and tracking this metric turned my stomach. My kids are their own people who don't exist to garner me attention and validation. I don't like comodifying their existence.

Well, sure, but you’re assuming that everyone has the same weird motivations that you and your friends do when they actually don’t.

Honest question then, why do you post pictures of your kids online? Genuinely curious.

Well, for starters, as I said I have a limited/private social media presence and I’m not flooding the world with the posts. We are a close extended family—yes,
I know, a foreign concept for DCUM—and we like seeing each other’s pictures. It’s not like I’m posting a baby book on line. The vast majority of my pics aren’t kids.
But I’m not going to shy away completely from ever posting any pictures of any of my kids out of paranoia.

You are a close extended family that doesn't text each other pictures? Doesn't sound that close.

That’s right. I forgot for a second that everyone on this forum is a hateful skeptic with miserable family lives who hate their in laws and boomer parents and are
always looking for a fight.


We are a large family and yes it’s easier sometimes to post pics on social media than to text individually every single time. But yes, since you asked, we do that too. Quite often in fact.

You are choosing convenience over privacy and safety. That's fine, but that's a choice you're making. It's easy to label everyone paranoid but the facts are the facts, as someone linked earlier in this thread. Texting exists, email exists, Whatsapp exists. Hell even mail exists. But don't pretend not to know the dangers. It's 2025, we all know the dangers of AI and social media. Just own your choice to let laziness trump your kids' ownership of their digital footprint.

Sigh.

The “dangers” are severely limited if you have a small social media presence that is set in every possible way to private. You could not find any post of my kids online if you tried.

Yes it's notoriously easy to be sure every single person following you has no ill intentions and a secured phone. You should write a book about how you have it all figured out!

Seek therapy. Truly. If you have a therapist, fire them and get a new one.

Ahh yes. When you can't defend your position on merit, you call the other person crazy. Good job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in social media and see the dark sides. If it were up to me, there would be zero pictures of my kids, but I’ve found even when I specify no pictures, my kids end up in pictures anyway. I remember one organization that absolutely did not have my permission took a picture of my daughter and used it in multiple promotional pictures - social media, flyers, etc. It was very upsetting for me when I walked into a coffee shop and saw a stack of flyers with my daughter’s photo on them.

There’s an absolutely insane number of pedophiles out there, and they all save thousands of pictures of kids. It’s very disturbing. Even more so with AI.

+1

Can you speak to Social using facial recognition, and also how permanent the internet really is?