A mother’s world tightened after her divorce when her ex-husband’s new girlfriend began flooding social media with dozens of photos of the children, complete with warm captions calling them “our girls.”
The mom, who shares only a handful of private images for distant relatives, asked her ex multiple times to intervene, yet each request sparked fresh arguments and accusations of being overly controlling. Family members started sending her screenshots, their discomfort growing with every new post, turning what should have been a simple boundary into an ongoing source of tension.
Divorced mom asks ex to stop girlfriend posting their kids online amid privacy worries and conflict.
The mother expresses clear discomfort with the volume and tone of the posts, while the ex dismisses her concerns as overreach. Many parents in similar spots worry that rapid integration and public sharing blur important lines too soon after separation.
On one side, the girlfriend appears genuinely affectionate, stepping into a caregiving role quickly. Yet the captions and high volume of images raise valid questions about respect for the biological mom’s preferences and the children’s long-term privacy.
Opposing views highlight that both parents have stakes in how the kids are portrayed online. The ex’s “controlling” label frames the request as interference, but safety and consent often sit at the heart of these debates rather than pure power plays.
This situation broadens into the wider issue of “sharenting”, parents or caregivers sharing children’s images extensively online. According to a Barclays study referenced in expert discussions, nearly two-thirds of identity theft cases involving young people could relate to sharenting by 2030. Oversharing can expose kids to risks like identity theft, harassment, or worse, as photos may end up in unintended places.
Stacey Steinberg, a sharenting expert and University of Florida professor, has spoken on these concerns: “I think it’s a danger that we’re not staying in the moment… instead of focusing on real connections with the people in front of us.” Her work underscores how constant posting shifts focus from present family bonds to online validation, potentially at the children’s expense.
In co-parenting contexts, experts recommend clear communication and, when needed, legal steps like adding privacy clauses to parenting plans. Many suggest using private family apps for updates instead of public platforms.
Neutral advice points toward calm dialogue first, perhaps mediated, followed by consulting a family lawyer to explore options tailored to your location, such as restrictions on posting minors’ images for safety reasons.
Ultimately, prioritizing the kids’ well-being means balancing new relationships with established boundaries. Open discussion about privacy expectations can prevent small sparks from becoming bigger fires.
These are the responses from Reddit users:
Some users strongly advise seeking a court order or legal clause to prevent the ex’s girlfriend from posting the children’s faces or photos online due to serious safety and privacy risks.
Some people highlight the dangers of posting children on social media, including risks from predators, identity theft, and AI deepfakes, and recommend not posting them at all.
Others say ESH because both the OP and the ex/girlfriend are mishandling social media, she by posting the kids, and the OP by publicly airing dirty laundry about the ex.
In the end, this divorced mom stands at the crossroads of protecting her children’s privacy and navigating a new blended family reality. The tension between her safety concerns and her ex’s accusations of control reveals how quickly digital boundaries can fracture co-parenting peace.
Do you think her request to stop the posts was reasonable given the lifelong stakes for her kids, or did she overstep? How would you handle a new partner claiming “our girls” so soon after separation? Drop your honest thoughts below.
