K24 TV Anchor Anne Kiguta has said that she regrets posting photos of her children online as it may have infringed on their privacy one way or another.
In a Q&A session with her followers on her Instagram page, Kiguta added that she had since desisted from exposing her children to early publicity.
“I am vehemently against it. My babies are all still far too young, including the eldest, to be on social media. In fact, I really regret having posted my eldest, to be on social media. Mummy (Kiguta) already has a pretty public life.
“They deserve their privacy. A reference every once in a while, perhaps, but nothing more than that for a long long time,” she posted.
The former Citizen TV anchor, however, argued that her decisions do not affect how she raises her children. She said that she tries to keep them active, positively occupied, and strictly off the telephone.
Kiguta’s pronouncements come at a time when most parents are facing challenges with their children brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The media has been rife with reports of underage students being caught in compromising situations, from house parties to sexual escapades
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) disclosed that they fell prey to predators through social media sites and phone calls.
Gengetone artist Mejja Haddhija shared a similar stance with Kiguta during an interview with comedian Felix Odiwour (Jalang’o).
“I have hidden my children off social media because I have never liked that story of tagging them, even opening a special media page for them.
“Personally, I do not think it is good to put your kids on social media. If you think about yourself, you may see that when you were growing up you had a different personality as compared to now (social media age). Things changed,” he stated in September 2020.
Comedian Timothy Kimani (Njugush), however, opted for a different path for his son Blessed Tugi, as opposed to Kiguta and Mejja. Tugi has a huge following on social media pages and has a YouTube account where he creates his own content.
Nairobi-based psychologist counsellor Snaida Ayub stated that decisions to post children on social media platforms depend are solely based with parents. Ayub said that parents can post the social lives of children like birthdays and holidays, but should avoid sharing intricate details or posts that raise questions on the kids.
The counselor divulged that such decisions also depend on the age of the children, especially those who have their own social media pages. She urged parents to consult children who can be spoken to before proceeding to open accounts for them or consider the future impact on those who cannot be consulted.
“Speak to your children and let them know what you think is right for them. You can also open private accounts only a few chosen ones have access to,” Ayub advised.
