My son has been and will be enrolled in a few camps this summer. At each camp, there is a waiver that parents are given the option to sign granting the camps permission to use pictures of their children in their promotional material. I have never signed these waivers. I'm wondering, am I being paranoid?
Like all parents, I love seeing pictures of my kids, and I'd love to see them taken by professional photographers. But I just don't feel comfortable having no control over how and where these images are used. The fact that my children's faces are to be used for someone else's profit makes me even less inclined to grant permission.
I don't have my kids' images on complete lockdown. Family posts pictures of them on Facebook from time to time, and I've even had friends post pictures of us on their blogs. I don't love it, but I don't want to be a complete control freak about it. But it shocks me that I have friends who use their family's full names and post pictures of them on public blogs. I know the likelihood of anything bad happening as a result of all this exposure may be small, but, for me, it's not worth even that small risk.
Thoughts?
All interesting feedback so far. I mostly wanted to hear what other people do and think regarding their own children's images. I don't actually "care" if others think I'm paranoid - and that may have been a poor choice of words anyway. But obviously I know that my kids = my decision. I'm not really going to change my values based on what others think, but I genuinely love hearing reasons why something that might concern me really isn't that big a deal. Conversely, validation that others might agree with me also makes me feel good. :)
That being said, no, I didn't sign the consent for their school either. Most of the waivers include permission to use the photos on their web sites as well. I guess I'm "paranoid" mostly because I DON'T know what the worst that can happen is. I don't know if or when certain images may come back to haunt my children. If I give blanket permission for someone I don't know to use whatever image they have of my child in any way they choose, I really have no idea if or how my kids will ever regret that I did that. It's not like we can pick and choose which photos they use of the ones they take, right?
I like what one poster said, yes, I'm mostly concerned that once I sign our rights away, I have no recourse if these images are used in a way I don't like. It really is more about privacy than even concerns about potential predators. Honestly, if some nutjob really wants to stalk and target my kids, there is really little I can do about it. But, still, I don't need the whole world knowing where my kids go to school or spend their time. It's one thing to say that camp pictures are "most likely" going to be group shots, but that's not spelled out in these waivers. I'm not invested enough in letting them take photos of my kids to articulate which specific shots would be acceptable to me.
It would be one thing if there were any sort of benefit to me and my kids to let their pictures be used. But we don't get anything out of it aside from the small pleasure of seeing their pictures, so I guess why bother? Whereas I do kind of get something out of not raising a fuss when friends and family use our pictures: I avoid potential conflict with people who may not share my feelings about this and whose primary reason for posting our pictures is solely for their enjoyment, not their profit. If someone goes out of their way to ask permission, I will say it's not my preference. If a company wants my permission, I don't feel I need to give it.
I just wanted to say, they came up with the waiver because there are other parents that feel the same way, so everyone is paranoid who won't sign the waiver, NO. Don't feel like that. I happen to be on the other side and always sign the waiver, does that make me no care about my kiddos? NO!
You've asked. Now, you are going to get all kinds of opinions.
And, guess what? It doesn't matter what anyone else says.
Don't "invite" people to call you "paranoid" (or over-protective, or helicopter parent, or _________fill in the blank) by asking the question, when you have already answered it for yourself: ....."but, for me, it's not worth even that small risk."
You have your answer. Trust your own decisions and do what you feel is best for your family. No one else knows you or your situation or can make that decision for you.
Maybe, at some point in the future, you might feel differently, and that's okay, too. We all have the right to decide one thing, and then later change our minds based on new information and changing situations. Or not. All up to you!
Best to you and your family.
J. F.
Your kids, your choice.
But I personally don't see it as a big deal. So there's a pic of your kid with a bunch of others on a brochure. They're probably making crafts, laughing together, or canoeing. What's the very worst thing that could come from that?
what does it matter what I or anyone else thinks? This is YOUR opinion.
ME? Let the camps use the pics. You can put a codicil stating no name is to be used.
On facebook - no matter WHAT your controls/settings are? Facebook has legal ownership of pictures - so if they want to use them - they can. And if family and friends post pictures of your kids? YOU NEVER KNOW if someone might share that picture with someone else.
bottom line it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks about your not wanting your child's picture out there...it's YOUR kid.
It's your choice. Their your kids... With that being said, yes, I think your being a little paranoid :)
Personally I don't see the harm for the camp photos. They aren't going to be plastering it on billboards or providing your child's name or any other information. And it probably won't be a photo of just your child; it will be a group of children that your child may or may not be a part of.
I can sure relate to your concerns about "what if…." And once I dip my toe into that ocean, I find out it is bottomless. What if I walk out my door in the morning and a rabid dog attacks me, or a scary stranger flashes me, or tree falls on me? What if my husband goes on a day hike and disappears, perhaps into a bear's stomach? What if I buy my grandson a snack and he gets food poisoning?
I can either let these concerns spin out of control and take over all my choices, or I can recognize them as over-eager "helpers," thank them for bringing a possible bad decision to my awareness and go on living anyway, or allow them to leach the sweetness and adventure out of living.
If I had your concerns about anonymous photographs, I would want to consider how this camp has used photos of kids up until now. If they are group shots of kids having fun at the camp, see whether you can even recognize any of those playful faces. Probably not. And such photos do help parents, and even kids, decide whether or not to go to that camp this summer. (On the other hand, if they snap a "Camper of the Year" shot to post in their newsletter, that would be uncomfortable for a mom with your concerns.)
I personally would be less likely to choose a "faceless" camp with no evidence of kids having happily used their facilities in the past. So yes, they are probably a profit-making organization, but they are probably not promoting any particular child's image as a vehicle for making more money. It's not like modeling. They more than likely just want to show happy, engaged kids.
The organizers would probably welcome a chat with you about your concerns, too. It would be interesting to hear what they have to say, before refusing all rights to photograph your son. You are almost certainly not the only parent with these worries, and privacy is a genuine issue that too many people don't understand until an unwise facebook post comes back to bite them.
But it is impossible to guard against all potential hazards in life and leave enough room for living. There is plenty of adventure and good clean fun in the broad space between "overprotective" and "careless." I hope you find that space!
I think it is a bit overboard. What kind of things do you think would/could happen?
Do you sign the consent form at the school as well?
I don't understand your fear of a simple picture being on a brochure, etc with no identifying labels.
My daughter models and I can't control where all of her pictures are posted but I am not concerned about a boogey man coming after her or something.
She is varsity cheer and her picture is on a composite on the wall at the school and will be there for several years. The composite pictures are displayed in the schools from grades 9-12. She is on the fashion board at Nordstrom and her pic is displayed in the BP department as a board member. On top of that is the modeling jobs she has done and her pic is in magazines, country clubs, etc.
I think it is a bit overkill to go that far. Basic common sense should be used and not living in fear of the what if's in life. I understand being cautious, I just won't live in fear of the unknown.
Everyone is different and you have to do what is best for you, even if some others do think it is paranoid. I have yet to see any smarmy remarks on this post. You'll get varying opinions.
What you do allow, Facebook and blogs, has more risk to it than letting the camps take pictures. I would also think your family is more likely to link a name with your children than some camp handouts. It is not like they are making a year book where they have to make sure everyone's names are there.
Maybe you are, and maybe you aren't. Either way, it's your call. Period.
This is why, when I had a blog for my preschool, I did not post pics of the kids.
I don't think you are being paranoid. But do understand that if Facebook wanted to use any image you uploaded onto their site, they do have the legal capacity to do so. This is one reason I won't do Facebook-- because any content posted on their site can become their property.
I let my son's image be used because I believe in the programs he attends, and know that they use them only among our parenting community. They are very discreet.
Your child = Your decision!
Meh....crazy is crazy.
In a perfect world, people would be normal and reasonable, but sadly, that's not the case in the real world. And I can understand being cautious.
Some people here use first and last names, locations, husband's names, kids names freely....
There are always crazy-fringe-people that MIGHT take something too far.
And then there are a zillion people that won't.
But in the types of materials you're talking about (a camp flyer or brochure) generally names are not used or given so I'd say it's OK to sign. But having been stalked on this board by O. crazy, I understand your "paranoia"!
Just for my own curiosity...what kind of bad things would happen?
If it bothers you, then continue to not sign the waiver.
That's fine.
When they get a little older and all of a sudden the fund raising starts, will you consider that your child is being used as a marketing tool to sell overpriced items so the cause de jour can earn 25 cents on the dollar?
For me, the camp photo doesn't bother me.
As much as my child stands out in my eyes, I know in a group photo on a pamphlet he's just another happy smiling face - and people glance over and don't really see that much.
But the fund raising - the ever present, non stop from preschool through 12th grade graduation fund raising - it makes me feel like I'm pimping my kid and I just will not do it.
Fund raising might be a necessary evil, but it's an out of control industry and I can't bring myself to feed it.
If the PTA can have me write a check directly to them - they get %100 of it and none of my time and effort is wasted - then we are good.
It's just a pet peeve of mine.
It's facbook, websites, and blogs, where the real concern is. I don't really know what exposure camp photos would bring. I mean, they aren't saying name, age, location...right? I don't think camp pictures would really give anyone a chance to do anything. Still, it's your kid, your choice.
In the past, I didn't care. However, my friend changes my mind. She had an awesome blog with children crafts, learning and DIYs. She was actually making a good amount of money off it. She also had a facebook page connected to the blog. She began to notice weird men liking her facebook page. One time, it was a group that was all about diapers. (Meaning, men who had a sick perversion for children in diapers. That group was actually reported and removed.) With noticing that, she began to worry. Her kids were on her blog in pictures. After reading a story online about predators going to blogs, she did an experiment. She posted pictures of random things not involving her kids. However, she tagged certain words in the pictures making it seem like it was her children. She then included words like bath, butt, diaper, etc. (Basically, words inferring her children were close to nude. She had hidden her past posts, so that the actual pictures of her kids were safe.) When you tag certain things, people can find your blog in google searches. Anyway, the next day the traffic on her page was insane. Hundreds and hundreds of views, picture clicks, etc. When she deleted the pictures and tags...traffic went down. That was enough to make her delete her blog :( I have seen stories of people stealing pictures and soliciting money. Pretending they are sick with cancer or something, and using pictures they find on the internet as their children. There are all kinds of stories (just do a google search) of pictures being stolen, for many different reasons.
I decided to never allow my son's pictures to be used. Perhaps, some think it's paranoid. I think it's smart, in a virtual world. I don't allow people to tag me in pictures, or my family to post pictures of my son. (I have few friends on facebook, they are all family. ) I don't post pictures. I don't worry about things I have zero control of. BUT, this is one area I can claim just a little control. I take what I can get, you know? I don't worry about people taking my son!! I worry about using the pictures in perverse ways.
It doesn't sound like you're as concerned about some imagined risks as you are about the fact that you're signing away your rights and control over images of YOUR children. Frankly, you have NO way of knowing what will be done with these pictures and who they will be shown to. They could be put on the front of a flyer that gets sent out to millions of households or put on a website with just as many hits for all you know. And that makes the "imagined risk" of attracting a child predator a little more realistic (statistically speaking), doesn't it?
For me, though, it would be more about protecting my children's privacy (for all you know, they'll take pictures of the kids swimming) and the fact that once I sign the waiver, I will have no legal right to protest how the images are used.
Nope, not paranoid at all.
You have the right to protect your child how you see fit. Don't let the smarmy remarks implying you have no reason to be paranoid influence you.
Totally your call! I do sign the waivers and it was so cool to receive the info for camp this year with my daughters bright smily face on the front cover! She is 9 and it was really exciting for her....ok and me and the proud mommy! When my son was young playing tball he had his picture on front page of the neighborhood paper! He really thought it was cool and took it to school for show n tell!
You're not being paranoid, you're being smart.
I can't remember where I read it, but it was a list of how parents could and should protect their kids, and one of the tips was not to personally broadcast or allow your children's pictures to be used in any way, shape or form, as child pornographers will often take images they find and Photoshop them onto pornographic pictures they've taken :(
I have a few of my grandchildren on Facebook, and have my account set to where only my friends and family (I have a family group page) can see them, and I don't use any info that could be used to track them down. But, one thing I've noticed that bothers me is that my grandson (just finished 8th grade) is often tagged in his friends pictures and those are out there for THEIR friends and so on to see. And I don't use them on my public blog.
paranoid?
maybe not.
it's sure not the sort of thing i lose sleep over, though.
khairete
S.
I never put picks of my kid on facebook. I just don't feel comfortable about it, and I don't want to plaster my life out there for everyone. I don't think it's that exciting anyway (LOL!). I don't know if I would be bothered by friends/family posting me on facebook, BUT a blog seems to me would be more detailed and I would want them to ask for my permission. If I had a blog, I wouldn't post anyone's pictures on it without their permission anyway.
Re. the camp pics, I would probably be ok with that - a brochure pic wouldn't bother me, and if names weren't included, that would be better, cause it would be just a "random kid" photo as opposed to being identified.
I wouldn't give permission unless I was totally familiar with the organization and liked them already, and wanted to support them. Because, all privacy issues aside, what if you hated the camp? Would you want your child being a "poster child" for this camp for possibly the next 20 years?
There is a sports camp in Palos Verdes that the same guy has been running it seems like forever, and he uses the same photos over and over again each year on his brochures. And I think the quality of his camps have gone way downhill and I wouldn't send my kids to his camp. I think if I was the parent of one of those kids on the brochure, I'd be getting really annoyed that he hasn't changed the photos by now. Like seriously there are kids who look about 6 on the photo that are probably in their 20's now! Because somehow we are still on this guy's mailing list, and every year I'm like, "Good grief, update your brochure for crying out loud." LOL!
I am sure too, that if they used a photo and you really didn't like it, you could ask them to remove it, if they were cool and you knew them and liked them. But if you don't know them and they are jerks (like many of these greedy camps that are just out there to make a buck off parents who need daycare during summer), you might be out of luck if you signed the waiver.
I'm with you, better safe than sorry. We never sign those waivers. We don't want our son in promotional materials. We don't mind if he is in pictures of his group on the website but those are usually not available to the public. I think the people who put their whole family (names included) on their rear car window are asking for trouble too. Now strangers can see how many kids they have and know their names. I'd rather be safe and keep the photos for family viewing only. I think it's easy to feel like you're paranoid because of all the bad things we hear about now. But I'd rather be paranoid and have my kid safe.
I actually think you are wise. i also agree that we have such little control with everyone having camera phones as well as every other mom who has a camera that has lenses that can see from here to the moon. Just think of all the strangers who post photos and you and/or your children are in the background. I have some beach photos of my kids and notice a random naked baby/child in the background. I would not be happy if that was my kid a someone posted it on their blog/facebook.
I normally sign those forms, but it does bother me not knowing if they take an action shot and my kids are not in the best pose.
I am the same way. I do not sign the waivers to allow photos of my kids to be published.
Personally I think it's your kids, your choice. Some people just aren't comfortable with it, and that's okay.
That being said, I work for a park district and I help create the brochure and we use pictures of kids in our programs for that. YES we are doing marketing, but I wish some people would understand that marketing is essential and it helps everyone!
The programs have to look fun or appealing or no one will sign up for them. When no one signs up for the program, programs get cancelled. When programs get cancelled, then there isn't much funding for the programs that are left.
I don't understand why it would be a bad thing to use a photo of children to advertise the camp. No one person is "profiting" off your kids' photo as in they're sitting back and collecting all the money, the camp as a whole profits. And if you like the camp and want to see it continue to exist, then it must be advertised. Working in the advertising industry, I know that photos of people sell better than photos of objects. Especially for an experience like a camp.
I completely understand wanting to have control of the photos of your kids, you never know if they will be photographed in a swimsuit or something that might make you or them uncomfortable. I'm careful about the photos we use of the girls in their leotards.
But the idea that someone is using the picture of your kid to sweep in a big profit--well usually people hire models for that.
Camps, park districts, YMCA's and schools are, I would think, the safest places to give permission. Yes, they are interested in using pictures as part of marketing, but that means they would only use pictures of smiling kids enjoying a fun activity. They are going to want to make sure that whatever picture they use shows happy kids (and I hate to say it but "normal" looking kids), and they are going to want to use images that highlight activities that make another kid or parent say, "Now that looks like a place I want to send my kid."
They are not going to use a photo that makes your child look ridiculous or shows them doing something inappropriate or embarrassing, because that would only make them look bad.
I'd feel much better about saying yes to one of these organizations than I would about individuals posting pictures on their personal blog. People sometimes post pictures that are "funny" that can actually be very hurtful.
I've seen college students do some pretty mean things with an embarrassing photo and Photoshop. That's the type of thing I'd mean more concerned about.
