Facebook Character Profile Photo Controversy

Many may notice that friends on Facebook are using photos of cartoon characters instead of their actual photos. This craze has become controversial - the original idea was that somehow making a cartoon character a profile picture it would help against child abuse, but now there are speculations that the reason for it is so that pedophiles can become friends with children easier.

Some people didn't even realize there was a reason behind it and just felt like hopping on the bandwagon for the fun of it.

ZAP2IT

No one can find the source that advocated this campaign for child abuse awareness or the one for the pedophile claim.

It has even been reported by Zap2it that Lady Gaga may be the reason behind it all :

This weekend, Lady Gaga is in a fight against child abuse by using a cartoon character pic on her Facebook profile to show sympathy for the cause that has become an impactful Internet sensation with celebrities and regular folk too. During this short campaign that ends Tuesday, December 7, Gaga shows her support through the Muppet character Animal.

Other celebrities that are participating in this are Taylor Swift, Megan Fox, Jonas Brothers and Vin Diesel.

The Atlantic posts:

Campaign to End Violence Against Children is asking users to change their profile pictures to their favorite childhood cartoon to raise awareness about "Worldwide Violence Against Children and Child Abuse." To ensure that your friends get the message, the cause also asks that users post this status--or something like it--along with the change:


Change your FB Profile Picture to a Cartoon from your childhood. The goal is to not see a human face on FB till Monday December 6th. Support the fight against child abuse by copying and pasting this as your status and joining this group to support this sometimes over looked cause! Invite friends to join and do the same.


Mashable notes that National Child Abuse Prevention month is not until April:

From Mashable

The origins of this campaign remain a mystery, as it doesn’t seem to be affiliated with any official organization. And not that you need to limit child abuse awareness to a certain time of year, but, at least in the U.S., National Child Abuse Prevention Month isn’t until April. Some Facebook commenters have also pointed out the perhaps misdirected effort, posting messages skeptical of any tangible outcomes.

Then there are others who are posting on their Facebook status that this is a big hoax, but then there is no link or really any source:

So, does it really matter why someone chose to make his or her Facebook picture a cartoon character? Some people use photos of different things all the time - so, really, this isn't that big of a deal.