Steph Claire Smith posted an Instagram of her son. In minutes, the comments rolled in.

Being a parent in the digital age is no small feat. Between balancing what's share-worthy and what should stay private, there's no guidebook — just a lot of opinions.

Steph Claire Smith, fitness mogul, influencer and co-founder of KIC app, is carving her own path when it comes to protecting her three-year-old son Harvey, and honestly, she's making a pretty solid case for it.

Recently, Steph was enjoying a day out with her son Harvey and her husband Josh, watching a monster truck show. She decided to share the sweet family moment on Instagram, and blurred Harvey's face in the post.

Many mothers would agree that this is a completely normal and understandable thing to do, given her public profile.

Until this point, Steph had not blurred Harvey's face on social media.

Rather than realising that she has now made the personal choice to blur, and acknowledging that it is her right as a parent, some social media trolls couldn't help but question (and rudely criticise) Steph.

"Why is his face suddenly blurred out ? This is just awkward," one wrote.

"Now you're blocking his face out?" another added.

Watch: Steph Claire Smith Run Club. Article continues after video.

Steph, not one to entertain unnecessary drama, addressed it head-on. "I can't believe I'm even taking the time to talk about this," the 30-year-old mum began.

"But honestly, some people ... I have spoken about this in my stories and on my podcast before."

She added that her son was now "at an age where he is not always in our care and he is looking like a little boy".

Image: Instagram

"He is a lot more recognisable," the mogul continued. With school right around the corner, Steph and her husband, Josh Miller, decided it was time to give Harvey more privacy.

The decision was also spurred by fans approaching them in public and calling Harvey by name — something that, understandably, confused their young son. "That's very confusing for a young boy," she said.

And let's pause here for a second — can you imagine being a toddler and random strangers calling your name like they know you? No wonder Steph and Josh are drawing a line.

Image: Instagram

"That is our decision as his parents. It absolutely baffles me how people feel like they can absolutely chime into your life and your choices," she said.

She added, "I understand that there are photos and stuff of him up there from the past. Our intention was not to erase him completely from the internet.

"It was to avoid putting up anything from now as he's growing into, as he looks like a little boy."

Image: Instagram

And really, that's the key point. Harvey isn't a baby anymore—he's starting to look like, well, Harvey. A little boy who deserves to figure out who he is without a million strangers knowing his face.

"I've been avoiding putting content up off his face and that's been fine. But that monster truck video was really special to me. It was a really fun outing as a family, I really wanted to be able to share it," she said. "It was like the cutest reactions from Harvey and we had the best time."

Despite the fact she shouldn't even feel the need to explain her personal parenting choices, some of Steph's followers didn't take too kindly to this new approach. It's frustrating to see people miss the point entirely.

Just because you've seen a child's face in the past doesn't mean you're entitled to keep seeing it. Kids grow, they change, and as they do, parents have every right to reassess their decisions.

But thankfully, not everyone's lost the plot.

Many fans backed Steph up, with one person writing, "I saw your story. I personally support your decision to blur his face Steph! You are his mum and have every right to do what you think is the best for him."

Another added, "Just watched your story about Harvey... before I saw it, I thought it was weird that this has his face blurred, but as soon as you said people he didn't know were interacting with him and how it was confusing to him, it completely made sense."

They added, "Of course, others are going to have their opinions, but you and Josh have and will do what you feel is best for Harvey! Everyone else be damned."

Another mused, "Being a parent in the age of social media is a fairly new phenomenon, let alone with a public following. Sometimes decisions and sentiments change as a child gets older and develops their more distinct features."

Image: Instagram

They added, "As Steph said, everyone is entitled to their own decisions. This is obviously something that feels right for their family and how they want to protect their child. The internet is a vast and scary place. I get it completely. If anything, I wanna know what app to use to do the same!"

And that's really the heart of it, isn't it? The internet is a large and often overwhelming place, and being a parent in this era means constantly juggling the risks and rewards of sharing parts of your life.

Steph's decision to start blurring Harvey's face isn't just sensible—it's thoughtful, protective, and deeply personal.

As Steph herself said, "If it's not what you would do, that's fine."

She's not asking for everyone's approval—she's simply doing what feels right for her family. And isn't that what parenting is all about?

Mamamia has reached out to Steph Claire Smith for comment.

Feature image: Instagram