As we get closer to college being a reality for my teen, I may be posting a lot of questions on this forum so please bear with me. My teen is just starting to look at outside (private) scholarships, but there is one minor thing that is giving me agita. Although we are looking at mostly smaller scholarships, my teen is also going to apply to a couple of bigger ones. One of the things that I noticed is that some of the bigger ones publish a picture of the winners along with their winning essay. I am a little squeamish about that. Firstly one of teen’s essays that he is working on, though it is not too, TOO personal, does contain information that I don’t love being in the general public (don’t mind if reviewing committee reads it). But deleting that info would change the tone and set up of teen’s essay as well as make it harder for teen to answer the essay question truthfully. I am also very internet paranoid. The thought of teen’s photo being captured and misused also makes me a bit uncomfortable. Granted we are just about to start this process, so teen hasn’t won anything yet. Am I being too paranoid? Has anyone dealt with this as a concern. Thank you in advance.
My law enforcement relatives have made us- as an entire family- very cautious about online identity issues. I am pretty sure that if a winner asked the sponsoring organization not to publish a photo out of privacy concerns, they would honor that. So that- in and of itself- should not be a reason to avoid these scholarships.
The bigger issue IMHO is that the odds of winning the big ones are miniscule and the amount of time they take is relatively large. So you need to figure out if the payout is worth it. They sound very enticing- but do you realize how many kids apply???
If someone wants to misuse a photo - they’ll find it whether in a winner announcement or otherwise.
That said, if they’re giving you money, of course they get to use the picture.
I personally wouldn’t worry - fraud is everywhere and cannot be avoided.
But the odds of winning a biggy are slim to none. If you win and they put up a picture, it’s a nice problem to have.
Ahem- no.
Their are sophisticated organizations which take violent pornographic material and superimpose the faces of “unknowns” which allows them to take the same illegal stuff and sell it over and over again with a new name/facial identity.
What’s the solution? Don’t post images of yourself, or especially minors- online.
Can someone hack your phone and get a picture of your kid and use it for a disgusting and illegal purpose? Yes. Is it multitudes harder than just cutting and pasting? Yes.
Fraud is small potatoes compared to the stuff that is available on the dark web, paid for by Bitcoin.
I cannot imagine a reputable organization refusing a request to withhold a photograph. Most organizations in my area no longer post photos of minors without parental consent- pictures of kids packing bags at the local food pantry- all the faces are blurred. Photos of HS kids picking up trash on the beach- all the faces are blurred. This is the protocol right now.
How do you feel about the scholarships that publish the winning essay? Some of the smaller ones do so as well. Again, am I overthinking this?
I strongly disagree.
All reputable organizations ask for permission before posting personal information and photos, especially of minors. They are required to do so for minors, I believe. Just because an organization provides financial support does not give them free rein on one’s public exposure.
We had these discussions several times re: my daughter when presented with these authorizations.
I don’t blame the OP for being cautious.
If he gets one of those permission forms and checks “no” do you think that will impact their scholarship decision. I am trying to decide if he should avoid altogether the ones with head photos of the winners. I don’t mind so much the ones where there is a group photo of the winners, so no one kid stands out.
@mwolf do you have insight due to your experience with Posse?
@NewtK I don’t have experience with outside scholarships and would not want to unintentionally provide guidance that would hinder your son’s chances for the financial support you’re seeking.
I’ll just say for my daughter, knowing what I know now, I’d limit her exposure to group photos rather than individual photos. She’s 22 now, a senior and has been accepted to a fellowship that only accepts a few students per year, and I’m not sharing those details anywhere online outside my personal friends/family.
None of the scholarship organizations in my region publish the winning essay. They usual do a blurb-- “The top scholarship went to a student who wrote about her experiences as a new immigrant to the US and the way she adapted to her new life” and then “the Silver winner wrote a moving essay about overcoming a disability”.
I.e. General and broad, cannot be associated with any specific student.
No. I don’t have any experience with Posse or any outside scholarships at all. It’s just that as he was researching scholarships he came across a few that he has been thinking of applying to. As I looked up a few of them on their websites a couple had head photos of the finalists and the winner, as well as the winning essay, and one had the runner up essays.
I like that approach and I feel like the smaller local ones are kind of like that. As the amount of the scholarship goes up I’ve seen more with a photo and a few with the winning essay. I’ve even seen one with the photo, essay, town and school of the winner listed. To me that is a little too much info for my comfort level.
Agree 100%. There have been a few horrific events in my area and people are now very sensitive to the misuse of images and personal identities. All the more so when the person is a minor and not a public figure in any way.
One of the local high schools does a big musical event in December, and the promotional posters are usually plastered around town (dry cleaners windows, community board at the grocery stores, etc.) The image usually highlights a few of the performers in costume. This year it was a beautiful graphic of the scenery.
Parents don’t want their kids faces showing up all over town with the dates of when they will be performing. It only takes one creep who decides 'Hey, for $10 I can see my “girlfriend (someone he’s never met) in person”. And then the stalking, an order of protection…
Better to be cautious from the git-go.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t really the photos of of kids winning scholarships as a target for perverts. From what I have read and seen, perverts and their suppliers are looking for more revealing photos, and unfortunately, there are probably thousands of such photos readily available on social media. If your kid was in a cheerleading team, a swimming competition, gymnastics, etc, there is a reason to be worried about their photo being used, even if the photos are only shown on the school website. If a kid was posting photos of themself in swimwear or other revealing clothing on social media, it could be an issue. If the school was posting such photos, same thing. But kids receiving scholarships are generally not targets for perverts or their suppliers.
Bottom line, I don’t think that sickos who are looking to create porn for perverts are looking for photos of older teens in school clothes or slightly more formal clothes awkwardly holding a plaque saying that they got $20,000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation. On the other hand, it is a pretty good thing if a Google search for a kid has their scholarship win as the top result, since only the more prestigious prizes have the winners posing for photos.
All that being said, your kid doesn’t have to pose for any photo, even if they win an award. Moreover, if your family or your kid has other reasons to avoid exposure, than they should avoid any such photos or announcements that include their name.
I was at a security briefing aimed at parents conducted by a reputable private security firm run by former FBI folks.
Their advice- adopt a “no photo” policy, make sure Grandma understands why so she’s not constantly posting on Facebook the cute “look at my naked grandson in the bathtub” pictures to her bridge club, don’t make distinctions between “good” and “bad”-- just no photos. Your kid’s nursery school shouldn’t be posting photos of your kid with “Little Georgie won the citizenship award for putting away his blocks” and your kids HS shouldn’t be posting photos of your kid winning awards. The schools which have a need for social media and PR can either blur the faces or be meticulous about password protected sections of their site (with an administrator who knows the families so they aren’t randomly accepting everyone who tries to gain access).
Minors should not be having their images posted publicly without their consent, period full stop. One of the thought provoking issues these folks presented was that the VERY disturbing trends of young girls images being altered and sent online to predators usually begins VERY innocently. And then not.
In the OP’s case, there is NO reason for an organization to use the kid’s photo if the family does not provide consent, and the OP shouldn’t feel at all awkward about taking a “no photo online” stance. There are plenty of ways to publicize the good work that an organization does in supporting higher education without photographs. Just knowing that Joey from Nevada wrote a heartwarming essay about “what the Constitution means to me” with a photoshopped picture of the Constitution should be sufficient.
Points made. Please do not start debating or posts will be removed. TIA!
My kids got outside private scholarships through our high school, there are about 80. One got $500, one $5000, one $10,000 (the amounts varied a lot, my kids who got more filled out every single scholarship application they qualified for). I honestly don’t know a single student who was awarded a national outside scholarship, they’re SO competitive. I wouldn’t borrow worry about this.
Thanks.
I hadn’t really thought about this, my kids only applied for smaller local scholarships. But I was the mom who didn’t allow social media until my kids were 16 and then Insisted they were completely locked down.
I was bummed to discover that it didn’t really matter because their pictures were all over their friends’ social media. I’m not sure that it’s possible to keep your kids’ pictures private once they’re teens. And I do agree that I don’t think people are stalking the scholarship sites looking for victims, there’s a lot more lower hanging fruit. Don’t worry too much 
Thank you. That is reassuring.