To develop a code of conduct for using images of children, we should start by understanding how dramatically they play on our emotions. A child's power over the mind is well understood by the savviest political operators, which is another reason we should be wary of how we use pictures of children. Dictators like Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Kim Il Sung were regularly depicted in drawings with children to soften their image, though they were rarely photographed with them (perhaps they had taken the cautionary tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes" to heart).
Children represent innocence, joy, simplicity, and goodness. We see ourselves, our children, and our future in them, and being with children communicates guilelessness by association. Violating a child's innocence is a more serious transgression than violating an adult's because children are less able to say no, fight back, or understand how they are being exploited.
Here, a child is given lessons by U.S. Marines and Afghan volunteers at Forward Operating Base Geronimo in 2010.
International Security Assistance Force photo
