Mark Zuckerberg’s Rare Family Photo Sparks Confusion As He Conceals His Kids' Faces On His Own Platform

Jul 12, 2023

Throughout the age of social media, more and more people have grown very concerned about the risks of putting themselves online. Many have grown accustomed to posting photos of themselves on Facebook and on Instagram. The platform has become an avenue for people to see each other virtually, connecting people from all over the world into one page. 

However, this extension of lives on social media has also become a double-edged sword for some as the threat of privacy, identity theft, and other forms of violence have proliferated. A problem that many parents, in particular, pointed out was the threat to their children’s faces and photos to be used for malicious purposes. 

The conversation surrounding this topic was revisited after Facebook and Instagram Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg posted a rare family photo on Instagram on July 4, 2023.

“Happy July 4th! 🇺🇸 Lots to be grateful for this year. As the big girls get older, I love talking to them about why America is so great. Looking forward to discussing this with little Aurelia soon too,” he said in the caption. 

The family outing was considered a rare one as Zuckerberg is not one to share his personal moments with his family on the platform. Noticeably, Zuckerberg did something on the photo that sparked the confusion of many – he stuck an emoji sticker on the faces of his two daughters, August and Maxima, only showing his face, his wife Priscilla Chan, and their youngest, Aurelia. 

Many people stormed the comment section, raising doubts as to how come Zuckerberg would hide his children’s faces on the very platform that he has created and promised to be safe. 

Many celebrities on social media have also been hiding their children’s faces on social media as part of their personal discretion on safety. The likes of Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, model Gigi Hadid, Orlando Bloom, and even Chris Pratt have been doing the same thing for years now. 

However, Zuckerberg’s decision to follow suit in the idea of privacy seemed to be concerning for some, especially because he had repeatedly vowed and promised to keep minors and children safe on Instagram, one of his social media platforms. 

In a 2019 Reuters report, Zuckerberg defended the company’s move to encrypt their messaging platforms to combat child exploitation, terrorism, and even child abuse. 

“When we were deciding whether to go to end-to-end encryption across the different apps, this was one of the things that just weighed the most heavily on me,” he said in a live stream of the company’s weekly internal Q&A session, as quoted by the outlet. 

In 2021, a campaign was launched encouraging him to prioritize children’s well-being on his social media platforms. The United Kingdom’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Child Rescue Coalition wrote to Zuckerberg to ask him to share their resources to combat child exploitation: 

“The company must do significantly better to regain the trust of parents and child protection professionals, and most importantly, to ensure its product decisions contribute to rather than compromise children’s safety and wellbeing,” they wrote. 

The move came on the heels of former Facebook employee Frances Haugen divulging the alleged “lax approach to safety,” The Guardian reported. 

Facebook responded with an assurance that they spend more than $13 billion for safety alone, spending huge on the development of tools that enhance the safety and well-being of children and teens on Facebook and Instagram. 

On Zuckerberg’s Instagram post, he was plagued with comments and criticisms on his decision to conceal his children’s faces online. 

“Even Zuck doesn’t trust his platforms to put his kids faces up,” someone pointed out. 

“Take notes. The founder of Meta doesn’t want his daughter’s faces posted to social media,” another said. 

“You do see the irony in putting an emoji to protect your children's faces on social media, right? Like, surely you see this,” a user echoed. 

“Hiding his kids faces let’s you know exactly what he thinks of privacy on his platform,” another wrote. 

New York City-based psychologist Alexandra Hamlet explained to CNN the trend on social media where parents block their children’s faces on photos. 

"By modeling for us that he was careful not to share his family’s location or childrens’ identities, he may be communicating that it is the end users’ responsibility to protect themselves online,” she pointed out. 

“Sharenthood” author Leah Plunkett reminded people of their responsibilities as well. 

“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,” she told the outlet.

Zuckerberg seemed to be unfazed by the comments as he proceeded to post more photos unrelated to the issue at hand. As of this writing, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has not responded to the reputable outlet about an inquiry on Zuckerberg’s decision to conceal the children’s faces. 

What can you say about Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to put emoji stickers on his children’s faces in the photo? Would you have done the same thing if it was you? Do you trust Facebook and Instagram for your children’s safety? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones out there!