Should you be hiding your children's faces online?
If Mark Zuckerberg thinks his own children aren’t safe online, maybe it's time to rethink your next infant Insta post…
When Mark Zuckerberg recently posted a photo of his family on Instagram, the faces of his daughters Maxima and August were replaced with happy face emojis.
Zuckerberg’s decision received criticism across the internet from those who saw it as hypocritical, considering Zuckerberg's role in creating and owning two of the biggest platforms that encourage parents to share pictures of their children online - despite his very own privacy concerns.
The incident also shed light on a broader trend among high-profile social media users, who are becoming more cautious about sharing identifiable pictures of their children online.
Mark Zuckerberg posted the image on his public Instagram on July 4th
Gigi Hadid, Mila Kunis, Adele, Halle Berry and Naomi Campbell (the list is endless) have all been blurring images or using emojis to protect their children's privacy on social media. While this approach is now commonplace among celebrities, us everyday users might also consider adopting similar measures.
While it's natural for parents to proudly share pictures of their children, concerns about privacy risks have been growing. These risks include potential exposure to identity theft and facial recognition technology (AI), as well as the creation of an online history that could have consequences in adulthood.
Experts warn that it's not just the increasing presence of AI and recognition software that should raise concerns, but also the potential dangers posed by other social media users. "Posting images online is not risk-free," Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, told the Huffington Post back in 2022. "It increases the chance of things like bullying and stalking or, although rare, even predators."
Many (non-famous) parents now choose to limit the amount they share about their children, restrict sharing to less public platforms or not post their children at all. Others pull a Zuckerberg, and obscure their children's faces with emojis to strike a balance between sharing precious moments and protecting their privacy.
Having Zuckerberg opt out of sharing his kids' faces may not out of concern for the dystopian possibilities of a Black Mirror identity stealing scenario. It could simply be because he is a billionaire entrepreneur, and that ostensibly puts his children at risk of kidnapping… but when the owner of Meta decides his children aren't safe online, and he has the resources to protect them - shouldn’t we all be doing the same?