Hiding children

Luminance

I'm afraid that comes back to the point that people are indeed buying those photos. What should be a beautiful moment without violating privacy is lost in others entitlement.

A beautiful moment!😆
It’s the Sussexes wanting their cake and eating it, nothing more and nothing less.
Look, here’s the Mummy dressed in spiritual flowing white in these lovely gardens holding a toddlers hand ( back view, a tee shirt and tousled red hair only on view).Look, here’s Mummy and Daddy on a beach, more flowing clothes and bare feet smiling serenely with small children running ahead ( more tee shirts and tousled heads, back view.)
It’s part of their campaign to show the world their life is composed of perfect moments, from feeding chickens in palatial grounds to hand in hand romps on the beach, making wildflower bouquets for guest rooms, and making runny jam in a film set kitchen.
I strongly suspect it’s for their own benefit as much as anything and a desperate attempt to show the world how happy they are.
Makes you wonder about the reality, as neither of them are happy or content people.

Luminance

Well I had not realised this was a Megan and Harry thread at first so that changes things entirely I suppose in the current setting.

I posted this thread, and it didn't begin as a Megan and Harry posting. It was prompted by my seeing several photos of babies, showing only a foot or hand, the back view of children, and a person who was shown smiling broadly in the local newspaper but had her hand across the face of her small child.

Well I had not realised this was a Megan and Harry thread at first so that changes things entirely I suppose in the current setting.

Luminance

I'm afraid that comes back to the point that people are indeed buying those photos. What should be a beautiful moment without violating privacy is lost in others entitlement.

If people want privacy, then they do not post pictures of these special moment for the whole world to see they post them on private closed friends and family groups.

By definition if you publish on a public source, you are putting yourself and your immediate family in the public domain.

Look at what the Prince and Princess of Wales do, who are far more in the public arena than Prince Harry. On Princess Charlottes recent birthday, a picture of her was released formally through a Royal public web site. it was a picture taken several months ago.

Nothing has been said or published about private celebrations for her birthday . Was their a party? Did they have an outing instead? What did she wear? No pictures of her enjoying the day itself, with or without her parents. That is all private.

Once a child's (or any) face is online there is no control over what may happen to it.
Think about it.

Its not just the public doing it, members of my family are doing it too.

A bit pathetic if you ask me.

I'm afraid that comes back to the point that people are indeed buying those photos. What should be a beautiful moment without violating privacy is lost in others entitlement.

Luminance

I believe the photos show no faces? I suppose that way a special moment as a parent may be shared without violating a child's privacy. A clear statement of wish and intent that media would be disrespectful to breach?

I just don’t see it that way. It’s dangling bait and that can be dangerous.

Security around the Sussex children must be very tight indeed but paparazzi will keep trying . There’s a small fortune to be made for the photographer and the newspaper bold enough to publish the first full face photo.

Still, if nothing else it will give Harry another opportunity to sue somebody

I believe the photos show no faces? I suppose that way a special moment as a parent may be shared without violating a child's privacy. A clear statement of wish and intent that media would be disrespectful to breach?

Luminance

Unfortunately there are parents ho cannot lead any sort of normal life with their children without being followed and photographed.

Agreed, and that must be extremely trying, but the question is, why give your own photos to the media if you are concerned for safety or privacy? It is a conflicting behaviour, and there is no need for any child's photo to be made public.

Unfortunately there are parents ho cannot lead any sort of normal life with their children without being followed and photographed.

Luminance

Monica I would say the problem there is Joe public's entitlement to pictures of other peoples lives. We could simply stop buying into a culture of privacy invasion and commenting negative things on it. The better way forwards than forcing people to make the best of a rather rubbish situation.

The answer lies solely with the parents.
If you don’t want your child’s privacy invaded or their security compromised then don’t publish any photos of them at all.

Monica I would say the problem there is Joe public's entitlement to pictures of other peoples lives. We could simply stop buying into a culture of privacy invasion and commenting negative things on it. The better way forwards than forcing people to make the best of a rather rubbish situation.

Safeguarding wise a child’s photo should not be printed with their full name against it so they cannot be ided so maybe that is what is behind it. Don’t forget William and Catherine and children have top security so their children can have their photos published without their safety being compromised.

Magenta8

Does that make William and Catherine bad parents then Luminance?

There are plenty of ways to be a good parent I would say. Their children have a very different future ahead of them as working royals, is it the future they would choose for themselves? Who can say, perhaps they will choose to move out of the limelight but I am sure that is next to impossible for any royal.

But no one asks adults whether they want their photos in the public domain either. How often do newspapers publish photos of the children of famous people, who are over 18, even though that adult child has chosen to live a private life, away from media involvement. What about the children of Gaza, or Ukraine? No one pixilates their photos.

Either we have photographs, or we don't. Many celebrities just keep their children out of the public eye, full stop and that decision is respected, but play silly games of will we/won't we and you get what you deserve. As for the odd photo of some child in the news. Within a year they will look so different that no one will recognise them anyway.

Does that make William and Catherine bad parents then Luminance?

Then don't have any photo's of them at all.

Luminance I agree 👏👏👏

It is because a child cannot consent and may at some point be upset that their faces were in the media. Especially when the general public seems quite happy to comment negatively on a child's appearance. Good parenting I would say.

I think glimpses of a new baby's hand/foot and the everlasting backs of our children's heads as presented by Harry and Meghan, I can't help thinking why bother. there's a simultaneous disingenuous message, "we want our children's lives to be private, but at the same time we want the world to know how wonderful their childhood is" in these oh so carefully curated snapshots of enjoying extensive gardens and wonderful wholesome experiences with hands on mummy and daddy. I can understand high profile people not wanting to go the full Beckham where every little private moment and look at us enjoying all our best best bits revealed on a daily basis, I'm sure they have their mundane moments like the rest of us now that would be interesting!

I agree M0nica. If they don't understandably want their children's pictures in the media then don't have them at all. Tantalising and teasing does unfortunately seem to be what
H & M enjoy doing.

You can show an event, without including the children. personally I find these posts with pixilated faces very dehumanising, while those showing the child but not the face are just invitations to papparazzi or similar to try and grab photos of the childs face.

For example I suspect that Prince Harry and his wife have to be extra cautious with their children because they tantalise and tease us with rear views or partial body views. They should either never issue photos that include their children at all or do, what the Prince and Princess of Wales do and issue official photos on special occasions.

Maybe they want to show the event, a birth or outing but not show the childrens faces.