IN other cultures, babies and children of celebrities and public figures are not exposed publicly via traditional or digital media. If they are, the exposure is usually limited to special occasions or events.
Princess Aiko, the daughter of Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, is 16 years old and she leads a very private life.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the children of Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, don’t have Instagram or Facebook accounts that are updated daily. We see pictures and videos of the kids during official events and other such occasions. I don’t know how it works but I think that media coverage is preapproved by Buckingham Palace.
In the Philippines presidential daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte has accounts on Twitter and Instagram but in terms of media coverage, she is only seen during selected official functions. Most of the time, people leave her alone on social media, which is how it should be.
Isabelle Duterte, the president’s granddaughter, was vilified on social media because of her designer purses and Malacañang photo shoot. This happened even when people didn’t know her circumstances.
Vice President Leni Robredo’s daughter Jillian Robredo was also exposed to scorn and ridicule early on after her mother was elected.
Thankfully, people have generally left Isabelle and Jillian alone, and they continue to respect Kitty’s privacy and right to live as a normal teenager.
Baron Trump, the son of US President Donald J. Trump and his wife Melania, has also been the subject of cruel jokes despite only being 12 years old. This, despite the fact his parents have guarded the boy’s privacy. I don’t understand how people would cruelly attack a boy because of his facial expressions. Do we even know him, aside from what we see publicly?
I’m also a parent and whatever the politics of the parents of these children, it is painful to see them being the objects of hate and ridicule.
I love cute babies and children but my opinion is, exposing them very early to social media with daily updates via photographs and videos puts them at risk for unnecessary comments, good or bad.
Assumption College is one of the schools that is very strict about exposing kids in media. A celebrity was kicked out of Assumption after she appeared in a TVC. This may sound very old-fashioned but I totally get this line of thinking.
It’s another matter if the kids are children of celebrities. For example, Scarlett, the daughter of Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho, has her own fans.
It can’t be helped that the child’s parents are in the public eye. Even her aunt and uncle are sort of public figures. Celebrities visit the Belo-Kho residence regularly.
At the end of the day, parents decide whether to allow their minor children to have social-media accounts, or to be photographed for newspapers and magazines. I just think it’s a scary world out there and children should always be protected.
If there is one thing I think all parents should do, it is to prevent their underage children from posting pictures of themselves in bikinis and revealing clothing on social media. It is scary how some sexual predators could use these images of minors for purposes that are unsavory. It’s another matter if adults are posting pictures of themselves.
Minors using social media should be guided by their parents/guardians.
Image credits: AP