Strangers taking pictures and passing notes to my child
Unfamiliar adults sometimes bypass parents to interact directly with children by slipping them secretive notes or quickly snapping photos. These interactions cross clear boundaries because strangers either avoid speaking to the parent first or completely ignore explicit requests to stop taking pictures.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Giving the person a death stareDid this help you?
- 2Physically positioning oneself between the stranger and the childrenDid this help you?
- 3Instructing the child to draw without putting their name on itDid this help you?
- 4Engaging the person in conversation to test their intentionsDid this help you?
- 5Covering the child's face quickly when someone aims a cameraDid this help you?
- 6Verbally telling the person noDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I wouldn’t appreciate any adult passing either my male or female children notes. Period.”source ↗
“That’s where it crossed the line for me. Especially because we hadn’t been chatting first. The only interaction was btwn him and her”source ↗
“I think it’s weird bc passing a note like that has a secretive quality about it.”source ↗
“So many people keep trying to take pictures of my son.”source ↗
“I try my best to cover his face whenever I notice, but they're so quick. I've even said no, and they still do it!”source ↗
“I don't understand why it's so hard to respect a parent's wishes and not take pictures of their child when they've been asked not to.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why do strangers think it's okay to touch my toddler?
- 7Why do parents get mad about minor rules but ignore failing grades?
- 2How to set up a daycare playdate when you never see the parents
- 4Is it okay to let 10-year-olds hang out in a house with no parents?
- 5How to stop being too overbearing in my child's relationships
- 3How to figure out homecoming etiquette for teens