‘Good Housekeeping’s Baby of the Year contest draws concerns over fairness and privacy
Parents eager to participate in Good Housekeeping‘s Baby of the Year contest for a chance at winning $25,000 are now having second thoughts as concerns arise over the contest’s legitimacy, safety, and fairness.
The contest is sponsored by the professional fundraising company Colossal and is supported by Good Housekeeping magazine, Baby2Baby, and actress and businesswoman Jessica Alba. It is open to babies under the age of two. To enter, a parent or legal guardian of an eligible child must submit at least one photo for review and fill out a profile supplying information about their child’s personality and favorite activities and how the entrant’s family would be impacted by $25,000. Once the application is approved and voting opens, applicants are sent a link to their child’s profile that they can share on social media to encourage users to vote for their child. There will be several rounds of voting until the finals begin on November 15th to determine the grand prize winner. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will be featured in Good Housekeeping magazine.
A $25,000 cash prize can potentially change families’ lives, making the contest appealing to any parents with an adorable baby. However, given rising awareness of the dangers of posting children online, the contest has raised red flags for encouraging parents to submit their children’s photos to strangers. On top of that, confusion arose when numerous parents reported being notified that they were “finalists” or that their child’s ranking was rising despite not even sharing the voting link online or with friends and family.
Social media users express concern about Baby of the Year
On TikTok and Reddit, users began discussing the Baby of the Year contest, expressing their concern that it was a scam. A Redditor posted a warning about it after noticing an alarming number of people seemed to believe they were finalists or that “their baby is in the lead.” According to commenters, almost every entrant received the finalist notification. A user claimed they didn’t even finish their application but were still notified that they were a finalist. Meanwhile, multiple users alleged that they hadn’t finished their children’s profiles due to rethinking the competition, but their children were uploaded to the site anyway.
Much of the confusion appeared to be because the entrants were all separated into groups, per the rules, and there was no specification of how many groups there were or how many were in a group. So, if a parent received a notification that their child was in 2nd place, for example, it could just mean they were second in one group out of a thousand with just a handful of applicants. However, there were still some unexplainable incidents, such as one user alleging their baby’s rank went from #49 in their group to #32, even though they never shared the voting link.
The conversation also took off on TikTok when user @justaregularmom made a viral video sharing concerns and rumors about the contest. In her PSA, she noted the odd finalist notifications but also alleged she heard rumors that the contest was a front for child trafficking.
To be clear, there is no evidence to support the allegations that the contest is connected to child trafficking. The allegations received so much attention that Colossal CEO Mary Hagen responded to the claims in an Instagram Q&A and adamantly denied them.
In the comments, the account pointed to their collaborative post with Baby2Baby as proof of their legitimacy. Baby2Baby is a legitimate four-star nonprofit organization that has confirmed its involvement in the contest.
Is the Baby of the Year contest a scam?
Ultimately, the Baby of the Year contest appears to be legit in that the organizations behind it are legitimate, and the grand prize seems to be real. However, the Q&A didn’t clear up all the concerns. It still remains unclear why ranks are changing despite applicants not sharing the voting link, which is currently the only way users can vote. On top of that, the contest has raised concerns due to including options for voters to buy votes. Voters can cast one daily vote for free or up to 250 additional votes by paying a dollar per vote.
The money used to purchase votes is donated to Baby2Baby. Still, many competitors have pointed out the unfairness of this option for families who aren’t social media influencers and whose families can’t afford to buy votes. Many families in need likely saw the contest as the chance to win a life-changing cash prize. However, the voting structure means that whoever has the most social media followers or the most money to spend on votes will likely win.
The biggest concern with the Baby of the Year contest is privacy. Hager promised in her Q&A that Colossal would never give or sell applicants’ information or photos to outside parties. Still, applicants must realize that they are giving Colossal the right to own and control the images they submit, per the rules. Additionally, whenever they publicly share the voting link, they give anyone online access to their child’s photo, full name, and information about their personality and interests. Hence, applicants are still susceptible to identity thieves and scammers.
Experts have increasingly warned parents about the dangers of publicly posting their children on social media. This information can be used by scammers and, in rare cases, can make children susceptible to stalking and harassment. Parents may want to consider these warnings before participating in a contest that encourages them to submit and circulate their child’s photo and identifying information online. Given the privacy concerns and voting structure, many applicants have chosen to withdraw their children from the competition. Applicants can request the removal of their child’s profile through the Baby of the Year’s contact support form.
Applicants suggested those having difficulty with the removal change their baby’s profile picture to a black screen until removal. However, those who remain in the competition still have a chance of winning the grand prize and may be comforted by the fact that money spent on votes is going to a good cause.
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