Why More & More Parents Are Keeping Their Kids’ Faces Offline

In recent years with the rise of social media, the new concept of “sharenting” has become a thing, a term used to refer to parents who share a lot of their kids’ private lives online. And while I highly doubt sharenting is going anywhere, more and more parents are taking the opposite approach, choosing to keep their kids’ faces off the internet entirely. But why now?

A new article from The Washington Post highlights how many moms and dads are opting for the more private route on social media as the world gets more dangerous and artificial intelligence (AI) rises in popularity. With AI, photos on the internet can be easily manipulated and contribute to identity fraud, which is especially scary when kids are involved.

Celebrities have been doing this for years; A-list couples like Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel and Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, reality stars like Kristin Cavallari, and comedians like Mindy Kaling have never publicly posted pictures of their childrens’ faces. Instead, they’re cleverly shielded on the ‘gram with emojis or are seen in photos only from the backs or sides of their heads. The rationale for celebs is that their kids never asked to be famous, so they’d rather protect their privacy and take control of this part of their lives in the spotlight. Makes sense.

These days, parents with average-sized followings, as well as influencers such as TikToker Alex Kutcher, who’s featured in the Post article, are choosing to go this route too.

The idea is that one day your kid may grow up and ask, “why did you post that photo of me online without my permission?” Many parents want to give their kids the option to choose how much or how little they share of their lives. 

I personally post a lot of photos of my son on my social media pages and especially in my Instagram stories, but I do have boundaries; Bath and underwear photos are off limits, I never geotag his school, and I use my best judgment when posting photos of him with other kids whose parents I don’t really know and who may be uncomfortable with their child on IG. I like having all my memories documented on the apps and sharing the ups and downs of being a mama with my friends and acquaintances who follow me. Plus, if you have a cute kiddo, why not show him off?

So is keeping your kid off the internet the way to go? Only you (and your partner, if you have one) can make that decision—there really is no right or wrong answer. But try not to feel guilty if you continue to posts your kids on social media. One day, they’ll be happy that you have a photo of them from basically every day of their lives, whereas all of the photos from your childhood can be counted on one hand.

Do you share your kids’ faces on social media? Thoughts on parents who don’t?

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