Mark Zuckerberg, along with many other prominent tech figures such as Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs, chose to keep their children away from social media and the reason is not just the children’s consent.

I wrote a content about why you shouldn’t be just posting your children on Social media anyhow. Protect them. 

• Mark Zuckerberg and his wife never show full face of their children on social media.
• It is always recommended not to show children’s faces on social media due to privacy concerns.
• Sharing photos of your children can expose them to various forms of exploitation and misuse.

 

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently posted a family picture with his wife and three daughters to celebrate American Independence Day. The picture was all cute and happy and gained many likes until many internet users pointed out Zuckerberg for hiding the faces of his two older daughters, five-year-old August and seven-year-old Maxima “Max”. What was more intriguing was that Zuck didn’t hide the face of his toddler but only the older daughters.

 

Users on Instagram and across social media platforms noted, “Fascinated by Zuck’s choice to not have his kids’ faces on his social media platform… I could be wrong, but I think they were speaking to the irony that his business thrives on facial recognition but he doesn’t want to show his own children’s faces… I’m fascinated by adults who choose to plaster their kids’ faces all over their socials.”

While some users applauded his decision to not show the faces of his kids to protect their privacy, many justified that Zuckerberg is doing so to shield his children from the dark side of social media. Some users even called the Meta CEO a hypocrite, as his company has faced numerous accusations of stealing personal information from users while they use social media platforms like Facebook.

While there are seemingly various reasons why Zuckerberg chose not to show photos of his children, this decision is not limited to just one post but extends to other posts on his social media as well. In these posts, he deliberately avoids revealing the full faces of his children.

 

Even many big Tech CEOs, including Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and even Steve Jobs, used to keep their children away from social media. In an interview with The Guardian, Apple CEO Tim Cook once stated, “I don’t have a kid, but I have a nephew that I put some boundaries on. There are some things that I won’t allow; I don’t want them on a social network.”

When influential figures who have shaped the social media landscape themselves make a conscious effort to protect their children from it, it becomes significant to recognize that hiding the faces of children is something that everyone should consider following.

 

Social media is not safe for children

But why? Well social media is all fun but not safe. When even adults who give consent to be on the platform face so many dark sides of this digital space, children who don’t even know are the most vulnerable to the dark side.

The New York Post, a US-based publication, once revealed the horrifying experiences of parents who shared photos of their children on social media. According to the report, users pointed out that the algorithms of social media platforms, including YouTube, often made posts or videos related to their children go viral. Disturbingly, some users disclosed that displaying their children’s faces made them targets for identity theft and susceptible to predators including paedophiles.

One of the parents revealed, “For the first year of my son’s life, I was thrilled to share my journey as a dad on Twitter – cute pictures and videos of my son dancing and such.. until someone broadcasted his face from my Twitter profile in a Periscope rant attacking me about politics… in the middle of a fiery partisan video, was my baby son’s face..When you [share] photos of a non-consenting child on an open platform like Twitter (or other social media platforms that is accessible to millions and millions of people, some of whom may be mentally unstable, you are taking a risk.”

The report sheds light on the harsh reality that the internet is populated with malicious individuals, and sharing photos of your children can expose them to various forms of exploitation and misuse.

Children can become victim of Identity Theft

Well, the danger from bad guys is serious, but that’s not all. Nowadays, everything is around AI and facial recognition. So posting a photo on Facebook or other platforms will give access to your child’s face to the platform. Companies like Google and Facebook collect extensive amounts of personal information through photos, social media, and other online activities. This data is utilized to tailor advertisements and is shared with advertisers, publishers, developers, as well as law enforcement and government agencies for various purposes.

But here’s the thing: If you share a photo of a child under 1 year, there isn’t much cause for concern because the child’s facial features undergo significant growth in the first few months. However, as soon as the child enters pre-puberty or surpasses the toddler phase, their facial features become more prominent, allowing AI to collect and store data related to that face.

However, you can not deny the fact that when you post a picture or anything on social media, that image no longer exclusively belongs to you. It is crucial to protect the privacy of your children, as they can become vulnerable to the adverse effects of social media without their consent. These consequences may persist into adulthood. Take care!