Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics Have NOTHING to do with Pedophillia !!

It rarely seems a month passes by without some sort of specious claims about pedophiles running riot on social networking sites, and this December is certainly no exception with yet another viral rumour hitting the Facebook.
It all started in November when messages started to appear in Greece and Cyprus requested people to change their Facebook profile pictures to their favorite cartoon characters. The messages didn’t enjoy much success, and seemed doomed to a quick demise.
That was until early December when the messages were picked up, translated into English and were altered into saying the changing of profile pictures to cartoon characters was a way of saying “No to child abuse”, and the cartoon character you opted for should be an old favorite from that respective Facebook users own childhood.
The move seemed popular, and enjoyed even more success than the “Post Your Bra Color” and the “Doppelganger Pic” viral campaigns. Even though the movement did not seem to be attached to any official charity of group, many people were happy to change their profile pictures for a day, or even a week.
But as the saying goes, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch, and this is certainly true as to the unfortunate path this story has ended up taking. Only a few days after the messages and cartoon pictures went global did the sick and vile rumours of pedophile involvement begin to surface, and surface they certainly did.
Almost instantaneously did various rumours appear claiming the whole idea of cartoon profile pictures was created by social networking deviants who owned and operated dangerous groups designed to steal your children and rob their photos. Yet again the illogical rumours led you to believe that pedophiles invented the idea of cartoon profile pictures in order to be accepted as friends to your children.
Yet again the rumours made no sense, offered no evidence and defied even the most basic principles of common sense.

And yet again people passed the rumours on in their thousands.

This includes rumours like –

ATTENTION! Just reported that the group that started the post about changing your profile picture to a cartoon character is actually a pedophiles group that is doing this because its easier to get accepted friend requests! Please re-post.

and

CHANGEYOUPRFILE PIC BACK TO NORMAL!! this cartoon thing has been set up by pedos using a registered charity thing to entice kids. Apparently on the 6th of december you will be kicked of fb if u hv cartoon pics. the more folk that put up the cartoon pics the harder it is for the police …to catch the sickos!!!

Suffice to say, the rumours were not true AT ALL, and if you feel like changing your profile picture to an old favorite cartoon, whether it be to support child abuse awareness or simply to revisit nostalgia-town, feel free to do so in the comfort and safety of knowing you’re not allowing, supporting or endorsing any paedophilic related activity.
If you want more on the subject, here is our original post on Facebook pedophiles.