Why Mark Zuckerberg Doesn't Want You To See His Kids On Instagram: A Warning To Parents

As social media becomes more integrated into the everyday lives of families, a growing number of moms and dads are taking measures to shield their children from the impacts and dangers that can come from apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the new forms of social media popping up as competition.

Founder and CEO of Meta Platforms Inc META, Mark Zuckerberg, appears to understand the dangers well, and on July 4 posted a picture on Instagram of himself with his wife and their three daughters, with his two older daughters' faces covered by emojis.

Zuckerberg likely made the decision to cover his daughters’ faces to protect their identity –something experts are advising more parents and caregivers to do, according to Leah Plunkett, the author of "Sharenthood," who spoke to CNN recently.

"It's not just parents – grandparents, coaches, teachers and other trusted adults should also keep kids out of photos and videos to protect their privacy, safety, future and current opportunities, and their ability to figure out their own story about themselves and for themselves," Plunkett told the outlet.

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The Dangers: Posting pictures of children on social media exposes them to safety risks, including identity theft and facial recognition technology, according to the report. AI has become so advanced that it can even use images of infants to identify them when they grow up, according to the publication.

But the dangers don’t just come from AI, other users on the apps also pose a threat. The chances of being affected by cyberbullying and stalking increase when children’s pictures are posted on social media. It also opens children up to predation, although that’s rare, according to CNN.

Due to the dangers, Plunkett is asking social media companies to protect children by making automatic adjustments to images of children when the parents don’t do it themselves, such as using face-blurring technology, according to the outlet.

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