Home / News / Mum banned from Instagram over this picture Mum banned from Instagram over this picture

Like many parents, when our children do something funny or look particularly cute, we want to capture the moment; and with our smart phones having the capability to snap an image and then upload it to social media sites such as Instagram or Facebook, this has become the norm for many. However, for one mum, this innocent snap of her daughter in yellow wellies looking at her tummy button, ended with both her photo and then Instagram account being deleted.

Instagram nudity rules

Courtney Adamo was watching her 19 month old daughter Marlow, potter around the garden in her wellingtons when she lifted her cotton top up, looking at her tummy and saying ‘belly’! It was an innocent picture of a moment in time which Courtney captured and wanted to share, however Instagram removed the picture stating that it contravened their nudity policy and was inappropriate. Courtney thought there must have been some mistake so re-posted the picture. Her picture was taken down again and then Instagram account was then also deleted.

Criticism

Courtney Adamo, a business woman, wife and mum of four, has since been criticised and scrutinised for her choice to post the photo which to her, was a totally innocent picture of her daughter celebrating her first week in ‘big girl pants’. The picture and its memories have now been tainted due to the world-wide scrutiny and fact that it was reported by another Instagram user for ‘child protection’ reasons. The photo was reported as potential bait for paedophiles and while we will all probably have photo’s exactly the same as this in our own family albums, that was before the days of the internet where pictures can be posted for the world to see, in seconds.

Courtney has over 1,500 photo’s of her children on her instagram and many have criticised her, saying she is exploiting her children before they are old enough to even consent. But Courtney is clear in her views that she has never posted any picture that could be embarrassing for them or put them in any kind of danger, she has simply ‘documented her family in a loving way’.

Disgusting and upsetting

Mrs Adamo is disgusted with the fact that other people can see anything but an innocent picture and then have the nerve to formally complain about it: “I find it really upsetting, quite disgusting, to think that someone is rifling through my photos online looking for something to complain about — and seeing something sexual that isn’t there. You can see toddlers on the beach half-naked. Television commercials show babies in nappies. Are we going to ban those, too? To me, it’s just crazy.”

“It took me seconds to find truly disgusting porn on Instagram, yet they ban a beautiful picture of my daughter!”

She isn’t the only one to face the same criticism. Since the story came to light, Courtney has been contacted by other parents who’s Instagram accounts were deleted because they had posted a picture of their children in a nappy or of them breastfeeding. Many saying the problem is that the Instagram rules and regulations are very vague and it appears to be one rule for one and one for another. While a picture of a baby toddling around in their pants or a nappy is banned, we see photo’s of half naked women posing provocatively in lingerie and they are allowed? There is now call for Instagram to clarify their rules and target photos that clearly do flaunt the rules. There are Instagram accounts showing close up photo’s of genitalia, erect penises, and even competitions to rate photo’s of private parts – perhaps Instagram should spent more time investigating those images instead?

Instagram have since re-instated Courtney’s account after a backlash of almost 40,000 followers posted the belly button photo of her daughter instead, in support of her.