Who let the kids out? Children ‘take over’ official social media accounts, post ‘accidental selfies’

SINGAPORE – An influx of blurry selfies of children has flooded social media, with even government organisations in Singapore not immune to the cuteness.

Babies have invaded the Instagram accounts of at least three government organisations over the weekend with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and gov.sg posting “accidental” kid selfies with no caption.

Each photo featured a different child whose face is cut off at the bottom of the frame, as if taken accidentally, in the latest trend to take over the internet.

Fittingly, the baby in LTA’s post also appears to be on a public bus.

Netizens have been gushing over the high cute factor, with some cheekily suggesting this is a strategy to boost the birth rate in Singapore.

A user commented on gov.sg’s post: “What is this coordinated media campaign? To encourage more babies, is it? Very cute though.”

One netizen added: “No caption needed when you are so cute.”

The trend reportedly began when Saudi Arabian fashion brand Sahaba Abaya posted a child’s cut-off selfie with gibberish in the caption on July 10, according to online media reports.

Since then, organisations all over the world – from BMW in Qatar to Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao – have jumped on the bandwagon and posted their own versions.

The trend has been particularly popular in Malaysia, with many the accounts of global brands there – including coffee shop chain Zus Coffee, airline AirAsia and retail company JD Sports – participating.

In the Middle East, the Instagram accounts of IKEA in Bahrain and Kuwait, the Jeddah street circuit in Saudi Arabia which hosts the Formula One race, and Pizza Hut in Kuwait are among the organisations that have hopped onto the trend.

Some companies, including Yamaha Motor Malaysia, J&T Express Indonesia and R&F Mall in Johor Bahru, have even come up with a cat variation.