I’ve always shared my life online. I started posting videos on YouTube in 2011, gaining more than 210,000 subscribers. Then, in 2017, I started posting on Instagram, where I’ve built a following of nearly 250,000 by sharing fashion, beauty, body positivity and mental health content, alongside a growing amount of motherhood and parenting content.
A few weeks ago, one of my Instagram posts went viral. Not because I’d done something controversial, but because I’d shared something that’s almost considered taboo in the influencer world: I talked about how I’d lost £45,000 because I no longer wanted to show my children’s faces online.
At the end of 2025, I made the decision to stop showing my children, Cyprus, aged 5, and Kamiko, aged 3, on social media. I’ll still post pictures and videos of them from the back or the side, but I’ll never show their faces. They’re growing up now and going to school, and I want to protect their privacy. They’re also too young to consent to me sharing their lives online.
It’s a decision I’d thought about at length for most of the year, and one I still stand by. But it’s also had an impact on potential work.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I’ve always shared so much of my life, from break-ups and relationships to the traumatic experience I went through during the pandemic.
In December 2020, when I was seven months pregnant with Cyprus, I suffered severe complications from COVID-19. It was a near-death experience that left me in a medically induced coma for three months.
Cyprus was born prematurely via emergency C-section, and I decided that sharing my recovery was part of my journey, too. That’s why I began creating more motherhood and parenting content. In October 2022, I had my second child, a daughter called Kamiko.
But as my children have grown older, my perspective has changed. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the risks of sharing personal information online and the lack of online safety for children, I feel that, as a mother, it’s my job to protect them as best I can.
I don’t judge other parents who choose to show their children’s faces online. This is simply what feels right for our family.
I started sharing motherhood content after my first son, Cyprus, was born prematurely via emergency C-section.
My friends and family haven’t really reacted to my decision; I’ve not had a single response from them. The comments on social media, however, have been a different story.
Fellow influencers, including Megan Ellaby (@meganellaby; 232K followers), Olivia Bowen (@oliviadbowen; 2.9M followers) and Medina Grillo (@grillodesigns; 1M followers), have applauded my decision.
Many of my followers, some of whom have grown up with me and have been through everything alongside me, have also been supportive.
‘If the brands are that bothered about having a face in the campaign they should hire child actors to be in their advertising rather than a creator's kids,’ one person commented.
Another wrote: ‘I'm starting to think small children should never be paid content. Ever. Not even if they're unrecognisable.’
Of course, there have also been people critical of my decision, because I’m still sharing parts of my children’s lives, even though I’m not showing their faces.
Sometimes, it feels like whether you’re in the public eye or just a mum going about your life, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. But I’m doing what I’m comfortable with, and I can live with that.
While I’m open about a lot of things, I’ve always had boundaries. I love sharing content about my relationship, for example, but I’d never discuss arguments or private disagreements we have. The same goes for my parenting content. I’ve always shared the fun, happy moments with my children, but I’ve never shown them having tantrums, crying or being unwell.
It might not seem like it to my followers, but I switch off, too.
Any mother will know that the hours between 3pm and 7pm can be a bit of a rush: picking the children up from school, sitting them down for dinner and getting them ready for bed. During those few hours, I’m not picking up my phone to film content. I’m there in the moment with my children.
Afterwards, I’ll pick up my Kindle and read a dark thriller. That’s how I decompress.
Since 2015, my job has been to make money by sharing content online.
I think this is a topic that resonates with a lot of people, whether they’re influencers or simply parents and grandparents who post pictures of their children or grandchildren online. Everyone has to decide what they’re comfortable sharing, but I believe it’s important to think carefully about the long-term implications, too.
Since 2015, my job has been to make money by sharing content online. And since having children, whenever I’ve booked family campaigns or worked with a children’s brand, my children have been compensated, with the money going into their savings accounts.
I understand that this is a subject people have strong feelings about, and that many people in the industry don’t like to talk about it. But I think it’s important to share my perspective, and hopefully it might even be useful to others.
That decision has come at a significant financial cost. Since I stopped showing my children’s faces online at the end of 2025, I’ve lost out on six or seven brand deals.
I’m talking about major, well-known children’s brands, including those selling toys and clothes. The fact that some campaigns require my children’s faces to be visible is, if I’m completely honest, a bit weird. The conversations my team and I have had to have with these brands have made me increasingly uncomfortable.
I can understand why brands might want to show children in their campaigns. It’s cute, it can be engaging and it might feel more commercially appealing. Everyone loves seeing cute kids doing cute things, right?
But that’s precisely the problem: anyone and everyone can see this content.
I think brands need to understand that children’s faces don’t have to be shown for a campaign to be successful. There are so many creative ways to promote a product while respecting boundaries that help keep children safe. Keeping children’s faces off the internet should be the norm, not the exception.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for all brands.
Since I’ve stopped showing my children’s face, I’ve lost major brand deals ranging from £5,000 to £50,000.
Some of the deals I’ve lost were with brands I’d worked with before. Others approached me after I’d already stopped showing my children’s faces. We’d get to the final stages of signing the contracts, only for the brands to pull out when I’d explained that I wouldn’t be showing their faces. The fees for these deals ranged from £5,000 to £50,000.
It’s frustrating, because I don’t believe a child’s face should be a prerequisite for a successful campaign. There should be room for creators to work with brands without having to compromise on their family’s privacy.
Thankfully, my viral post has also brought new opportunities my way. I’ve just signed a brand deal with Wagamama, which we love eating at, and they’ve said it’s absolutely fine not to show my children’s faces.
That’s particularly encouraging coming from a food brand, where the campaign involves us eating together. It shows that there are ways to create engaging family content without making children’s faces the focus.
I hope more brands will get on board. I’m not saying that every parent should make the same decision as me, but I do think we need to question why showing children’s faces has become such an expected part of influencer marketing.
For me, protecting my children’s privacy is more important than any brand deal. I just hope that, in future, more brands will recognise that creators shouldn’t have to choose between the two.
Find Grace Victory on Instagram at @gracefvictory