Blurring photos of children on forums and the internet: yes or no?

Dear users and authors,
what are your thoughts on photos of children on the forum or the Internet? Should we at least blur their faces: yes / no?

Hey there!
Well, as we all know, opinions are divided on this.
I don’t post photos of my kids online where they’re clearly recognizable. If they’re facing the camera head-on or clearly visible in profile, I at least blur the area around their eyes.
Otherwise, I show them at most as I did with my middle child in the knitting school thread or the little one in the hat photos.
This is largely due to my husband’s profession; during his legal clerkship at the district attorney’s office, he had to handle cases involving child abuse. Even back then, in the early days of the internet, these cases involved, among other things, photos that had been doctored using images of children.
And besides, certain clients shouldn’t be able to visually identify our children.

But let’s be clear: patterns also sell better when a cute child is pictured.

And some people I know have absolutely no boundaries when it comes to showing their children. Even when naming the child, revealing the name of the preschool or school they attend… there’s no understanding whatsoever that this (aside from the right to one’s own image) can be quite dangerous.

Love, Nina

I also don’t think it’s okay to show children on social media or anywhere else on the internet. First, for the reasons mentioned above, and second, because such young children can’t even be asked if they want to be “featured.” When they’re older, they might be embarrassed to find childhood photos of themselves online, even if it’s just to showcase some kind of fashion. I’ve forbidden my children from posting photos of themselves. By now, they’re both adults and can decide for themselves.

I'm completely with @rubator and @Nadeleule on this! Especially these days, I find it even more dangerous. It makes me cringe every time I see children's photos used as product images. Even if the photo was only taken from the side, you can still recognize the child. I don't think that has to be or should be the case🙄Best regards, moni

I agree and believe that recognizable photos of children have no place being posted publicly online.
Especially when the child isn’t old enough to have a say in the matter.

Sure, many of these photos are incredibly cute... But it’s not my child’s job to boost my sales figures through their “cuteness.” 

I fully agree with the opinions expressed here—I’m right on the same page as you. Protecting our own children should always be a top priority—even here. There are a lot of shady characters out there on the internet, and children shouldn’t be exposed to any risk.

For example, I would never even think of posting photos of my grandchildren here, even if their parents allowed it (which, thankfully, they don’t). Their well-being is extremely important to me.

There are also mannequins available in children’s sizes. That’s a great idea.

I completely agree with the posts above. But what a sad time we live in if we can’t even share a nice photo of our children with friends on the Internet? And what’s the point of forums if we can’t get a little personal there, too?

That thought has crossed my mind, too. Fortunately, my generation grew up in a very different time. Well, there was no internet back then, so it was very easy to avoid people you didn’t like.

I don’t know.... Shouldn’t it be up to each individual’s discretion and responsibility to know what they’re doing—whether to post a photo of their child or not?

Aren’t we restricting authors too much if we also ban the posting of photos of children and babies?
I’m just thinking about how big the outcry was when they (rightly) wanted to introduce higher-quality photos....

  I think everyone here is an adult, and we can trust them to act responsibly when depicting children or babies.
For that reason, I’d be against a blanket ban.

That’s certainly an unpopular statement, but it’s my opinion. 

That’s not how I understood it at all—I didn’t think it was about a ban. I think it’s more about the risk that actually exists these days. And yes, of course everyone can decide that for themselves (and their child), but it never hurts to think about it.

The internet without photos of children would be completely unimaginable. I’m not familiar with the measures involved and can’t really assess the situation. I’d think it was a shame if photos were blurred or if we only saw dolls instead.

I find personal data to be a bit of a problem.

As for whether it’s embarrassing for the child—I don’t think so. Everyone has pictures of themselves on the internet.

@RechteMasche
A friend’s daughter was very embarrassed when her friends teased her about her mom posting photos of her on Instagram and Facebook. 

@Nadeleule

But these are product photos, after all. I don’t think you can really compare the two that easily.

@Rechte Masche

I understand that some people are concerned, because there are a lot of really sickos who get off on photos of children. That’s why I’m in favor of blurring faces.
However, I’m against rejecting patterns just because they contain photos of children, since I assume the authors are aware of the risk and therefore only publish photos they can take responsibility for.

We have to give the authors a little credit. If we just keep imposing bans, the authors might feel restricted, and that can’t be the goal...

Michaela, I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion. It’s just that some people probably don’t speak up about it. Sure—after so much backlash, no one wants to put themselves in the spotlight.

Ultimately, I’d also think it would be wrong to ban it here.
But for me personally, I’ve decided not to use my child for that purpose.

Of course, product photos are different from some of the things you find on social media.
There are pictures of children in their most intimate and embarrassing moments.
There’s certainly no need to debate that this is actually a no-go.

Ultimately, you should at least ask yourself: Would I want this photo online if I were in it?
And if the answer is NO, it’s almost outrageous to post such a picture. 

The fact is, we know that websites like this one have long been in the crosshairs of certain people. This is where they find what they’re looking for. We know that photos can be easily downloaded and uploaded elsewhere; no matter how harmless these photos may seem, they still “work.” We also know that it’s easier to gather personal data than some people here realize. The fact that most people don’t know how to do this is simply because they have no interest in it. That’s why I’m pointing out again that we don’t have anonymous stock photos here. These are facts, not opinions.
Does anyone here want their child to be cute in a completely different way? For someone to take pleasure in that in a very specific way? That’s the consequence, whether you want to admit it or not.
And yes, the argument that children can’t make this decision for themselves and will have a problem with it later on is also important!

Of course, it’s a shame, because with this knowledge, you can’t take such beautiful product photos. It’s also a shame that you have to lock your car, secure your house, and hold on tight to your purse. That’s just the way it is.

Here’s my personal opinion as a designer/author and mother.

1. I don’t post private photos of my children on Facebook, Instagram, or similar platforms.
2. I sometimes use product photos for patterns with children as models

Does that make sense? I think so. This thread has prompted me to rethink everything I’ve already given a lot of thought to in the past. And I’ve come to the conclusion that—for me—it’s still okay to publish promotional/product photos featuring children here. The main reason I do this isn’t even the thought of generating more sales. It’s to convey a little bit of the love and passion I put into creating my designs. We all share a wonderful hobby and sew/knit/crochet wonderful things for people—babies, children, animals, adults. The beautiful emotions that connect us as crafters simply come across better in a lively product photo featuring a person.

I’m aware of the dangers of children’s photos on the internet. That’s why I think this discussion here makes sense, to remind everyone once again that you shouldn’t publish images thoughtlessly, because once they’re online, they’re online forever. But I can’t leave the statement “...that websites like this have long been targeted by certain people” as it is. Crazypatterns is a sales platform for craft patterns. A vanishingly small percentage of the associated images show children. The product images being discussed here are promotional photos; they do not show children in private, personal situations. Of course, a malicious person could go to great lengths to try to obtain more detailed information about a child pictured. But there are so many easier ways to get hold of “more interesting” images that I consider the risk with promotional photos on CP to be rather low.

An example: at my children’s school, photos of school life are published with the parents’ consent. Of course, with certain rules, e.g. no portraits, no “embarrassing” pictures, no individual photos, etc. Nevertheless, the children are recognizable in these pictures. A bad guy would have it really easy there; he even gets the school the child attends supplied as information right away. Should the pictures therefore be banned from the website and only text be allowed for reports about great school activities?

Second example: how easy it is for a pervert to take photos/videos of children in swimwear at the pool... You really can’t tell whether someone is reading a message on their phone or secretly taking photos, or even filming. Do I still allow my children to go to the outdoor pool?

Third example: my 10-year-old daughter’s route to school by bike takes her along the main road with a speed limit of 80, winding, with poor visibility, dangerous junctions, and no bike path. The risk that something will happen to her on this way to school is many times higher and more concrete than the risk of a photo of her being misused on such sites (a few years ago, a girl was hit by a car and seriously injured on this exact route to school). Do I now let my daughter ride her bike with the other children, or do I force her to take the school bus?

Ultimately, everyone has to make such decisions for themselves. I live with the conviction that we cannot protect ourselves and our children from all dangers or lock them away. As nice as that would be, it simply isn’t possible and would also be unrealistic. Our children are growing up in a world that contains very different dangers from those we knew from our childhood. I think it’s important to educate children early on and explain the benefits and dangers of the internet to them in an age-appropriate way. And to create awareness early on that everything you publish on the internet stays there forever and can be viewed by everyone.

Which photo is still okay and which one is no longer okay—we probably won’t reach agreement on that here. Nor do we have to; we all have different ideas, fears, and needs for safety. I think it’s good and very interesting how the discussion is going here. But we should keep things in perspective and not immediately have every possible horror scenario in mind because of product images showing children...

Best regards
Sonja