No faces of kids on my online outlets. Why?

By now you may have noticed that I do not post photos which show children’s faces or personal moments (such as using a potty or any identifying marks). I do take them and submit to my clients, but I do not share them publicly.

I get so many reactions on this, mostly people wondering if it hurts my business or if it’s really necessary since “everyone else is posting.” Mostly, people feel defensive, which I understand. We are all just trying to do our best in our crazy world. But for anyone who is truly curious to know why, I wrote this post.

Here is why as a photographer I do not share children’s faces on my social media or website:

1) I will start with the reason you probably suspect already - safety safety safety. We all intuitively know this, yet it is too overwhelming to think about so we ignore it. There is no one keeping our children’s personal photos safe in the cybersphere. No one.

I spent two years working on a research project funded by a big tech company on sex trafficking of minors online (no, they don’t actually care but it served well for their CSR report). My job was to collect data from various sources, including directly interviewing FBI agents, police officers, arrested sex buyers, district attorneys, and many non-profit agents. The technological “advancements” always work faster and better for the predators than they do for the agents.

2) On that note, AI tools are now enabling any angry and mislead teen to turn someone’s photo into a tool for creating immense danger and trauma for their target - through bullying, exploitation, or extortion. It is completely unregulated, and we need to make it much harder for kids to fall victims to it.

3) On a very different, but important note, I believe that kids deserve to be the narrators of their own story and have autonomy. They deserve to have a say in who gets access to their personal story - visual or otherwise. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to have no control over who gets to see or know what about me and my life. This is exactly the predicament of our children and youth today. This is why I have a little guide on teaching kids photo consent. Read it here.

But how do I share about my kids but keep them safe?

So glad you asked! I had been up at night many times thinking about this until I landed on three simple rules on posting online:

1) No faces unless they are obstructed, blurry or otherwise made undetectable.

2) No personal information on public platforms or any with large following (schools, details around their routines, exact birthdays etc).

3) No intimate photos ever (going potty or being undressed, for example).

Does this even matter if everyone else is doing the opposite?

My platform is but a drop in the ocean. But I am foolish enough to believe that each drop matters. If given the chance to travel into the past, many people would hesitate, fearing that even the smallest change could set off a chain reaction with enormous consequences. Yet we often fail to see our small, present actions as possibly being a catalyst for big changes in the future.

Let’s be foolish together?

And now, it’s time to unleash creativity! This limitation may just push you to take the kind of photos you never would otherwise.

And how exciting can that be?! I have certainly found this to be true, and I now consider it my artistic advantage. This can be true whether you are a photographer or just a person with a phone camera an a desire to make a difference.

I am rooting for you.