Why You Won’t See Children’s Faces on Our Social Media

Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Let’s be honest.

Most of us have taken 37 photos before finding one we’re happy to post online.

We’ve adjusted the lighting, changed the filter, cropped something out, written and rewritten the caption, and then still wondered whether we should post it at all.

I’m definitely one of those people.

In fact, if you follow our social media, you’ll probably notice that I rarely post photos of myself. Not because I’m hiding, but because once something is online, it’s online. I like having control over what I share, when I share it, and who sees it.

And that’s exactly what got me thinking about children.

As adults, we get the opportunity to choose our digital footprint. We decide what photos are shared, which ones stay private, and which ones are deleted forever.

Children don’t get that same choice.

They don’t get to review the photo, approve the caption, ask for a different angle, or decide whether they want that moment shared with hundreds—or even thousands—of people online.

So as a service, we made a decision.

We don’t publicly share children’s faces on our social media or website.

It’s About More Than Privacy

Of course, privacy is part of it.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises that children have a right to privacy, dignity and protection. Article 16 specifically states that children should not be subjected to unlawful or arbitrary interference with their privacy.

But for us, this decision goes beyond simply complying with legislation or following best practice.

It’s about respect.

It’s about recognising that children are people, not marketing tools.

It’s about understanding that the cute photo we post today could still exist somewhere online when that child is applying for jobs, creating their own social media accounts or building their own identity years from now.

Childhood Doesn’t Need to Be Public

One of my favourite things about working with children is watching the little moments.

The concentration on their face while they carefully pour a cup of pretend tea.

The excitement of discovering a bug in the garden.

The pride after building a tower taller than themselves.

The joy of dancing when they think nobody is watching.

These moments are beautiful.

But not every beautiful moment needs an audience.

Some moments deserve to belong solely to the child experiencing them.

We Ask Ourselves One Simple Question

If this child were 25 years old, looking back on their childhood, would they be happy that this image was shared publicly online?

The truth is, we can’t know.

And because we can’t know, we’d rather err on the side of caution.

We’d rather protect their future choice than assume consent on their behalf.

But Doesn’t This Make Marketing Harder?

Yes. Absolutely.

Anyone who works in childcare marketing knows that photos with smiling faces perform well online.

They get more engagement.

More likes.

More comments.

More shares.

Sometimes it feels like social media algorithms are designed to reward exactly the type of content we’ve chosen not to post.

But we didn’t open this centre to impress an algorithm.

We opened it to support children and families.

If protecting children’s privacy means our posts reach fewer people, that’s a trade-off we’re comfortable making.

Because our values shouldn’t disappear the moment we open Instagram or Facebook.

What You’ll See Instead

You’ll still see our children.

You’ll see muddy boots.

Tiny hands mixing potions.

Little feet exploring nature.

Children creating, building, discovering, imagining and learning.

You’ll see childhood.

You just won’t see identifiable images of the children themselves.

Because their learning journey deserves to be celebrated.

But their identity belongs to them.

A Different Way Forward

We know not every service takes this approach, and we respect that different services make different decisions.

For us, this simply feels right.

The digital world is changing rapidly. Technology is evolving faster than ever, and the long-term impacts of children’s online footprints are still largely unknown.

What we do know is that children deserve privacy.

They deserve dignity.

They deserve the opportunity to decide for themselves what parts of their story become public.

Until they’re old enough to make that decision, we’ll continue protecting that choice for them.

After all, children only get one childhood.

And we believe it should belong to them.