Pictures In Public of Kids

It is a pet peeve of mine when people use kids as an excuse to complain about anything, but this takes the cake. It may not go anywhere but just that it is being talked about sets my teeth on edge.

It started when someone was taking pictures of kids at a swim meet. Someone objected, and it was ruled it may be for unsavory purposes, but it was not illegal.

Now, it is being said that there cannot be pictures taken in public of any child, unless there is written parental consent. If you are at a track meet, and you take a picture of your own child, and there are others in the background whose parents have not consented, you will have broken the law.

Same goes for kids, Troop 756 marching in the 4th of July parade in their Scout uniform, no pictures without consent.

Makes me crazy. (ier)

Exactly, there is no law against photographing people without their permission, even if you chase them halfway around the world to do it, so it makes no sense to outlaw photographing kids. And in fact, in the way of overactive paranoid twits, that's the new red flag that somebody may be a pedophile, if they're taking pictures of fully clothed kids in parks, even if it's the parents!

As I hope, this proposal won't go anywhere, everyone will see how pointless and unwieldy it is.

As far as protecting kids from pedophiles, parents blindly trust family members, and plenty of pedophilia is perpetrated within the family, not only strangers.

DanaShelbyChancey wrote:As I hope, this proposal won't go anywhere, everyone will see how pointless and unwieldy it is.

As far as protecting kids from pedophiles, parents blindly trust family members, and plenty of pedophilia is perpetrated within the family, not only strangers.

Exactly, it's like in the 70s we were so overboard with stranger danger, which I guess was valid because in the 70s when women were raped, most of them were by people they did NOT know, something changed between then and now, now it's family members most likely or friends of the families...and on a side note this reminds me of the debate over driving kids to school vs. letting them walk to school, parents say 'oh they can't walk to school, they'll be kidnapped', but there are only 150 kidnappings in one year in America of school aged children and no telling how many thousands of them are injured in car accidents.

Seems a bit extreme.

DanaShelbyChancey wrote:It is a pet peeve of mine when people use kids as an excuse to complain about anything, but this takes the cake. It may not go anywhere but just that it is being talked about sets my teeth on edge.

It started when someone was taking pictures of kids at a swim meet. Someone objected, and it was ruled it may be for unsavory purposes, but it was not illegal.

Now, it is being said that there cannot be pictures taken in public of any child, unless there is written parental consent. If you are at a track meet, and you take a picture of your own child, and there are others in the background whose parents have not consented, you will have broken the law.

Same goes for kids, Troop 756 marching in the 4th of July parade in their Scout uniform, no pictures without consent.

Makes me crazy. (ier)

That is completely outrageous. If kids are out in public, then anyone and everyone has the right to take snapshots of them or of scenery that includes them. If some people don't want their children photographed in public, then keep them at home as crazy as they would be.

Shale wrote:IDK if that is the case. I have taken pics of kids in public without their parents consent. Now if they are nude it wouold be an issue.

Even if they are nude, that is not necessarily illegal (especially if they are nude in public). There are pictures of nude children in films and artwork. Not to mention all of the ones in nudist colonies. I don't know why people get so up in arms about nudity. Actually, I do know why. It's because they see nudity as pornography and child nudity as child pornography which is ridiculous! But it's not illegal unless the are in sexual situations, sexual suggestive poses, or you actually forced the child to strip so that you could take pictures of them. All of that would be illegal! Snapping a photograph of a child (or anyone) running around nude on a public beach is not pornography.

That would be so strange to not be able to photograph children at events. I had not heard about any of this possibly written as law some time soon. Especially at parades and things like that.

That sounds crazy to me. Community space can be photographed, and if there are children in the scene, then so be it.

That sounds really crazy. Maybe kids shouldn't be out in public places at all because other people may look at them. No going to the mall because they're in public view, no going to the store, no going to a park because people might look at them. Stupid... okay - it's beyond stupid.