Jenny Mollen, an author, actor and social media personality known for sharing candid glimpses of her family life online, is facing criticism after some followers said she crossed a line with a recent social media post. The photos show Mollen and her 12-year-old son, Sid, lying intertwined on a bed, their faces pressed close together and their arms and legs wrapped around one another.
What may have been intended as a silly, affectionate moment — Mollen did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment — instead sparked a wave of criticism online, with some commenters questioning whether the pictures were appropriate to share publicly.
Mollen appeared to address the backlash in a series of Instagram Stories, suggesting that the reaction may be tied, at least in part, to her recent separation from actor Jason Biggs.
“It’s like because I’m getting separated, because I’m not protected by the institution of marriage, I’m suddenly like a different kind of target in what I’m posting. Like this is absolutely jaw-dropping. A photo of me hugging my 12-year-old child is getting ridiculed,” she said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
Mollen and Biggs announced their separation after 18 years of marriage In May. The former couple share two sons, Sid, 12, and Lazlo, 8, and have said they remain committed to co-parenting.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” one person wrote on Mollen’s post.
- “What the freak. I hugged my mom and dad a lot but this gave me the ick.”
- “This is a yikes from me, dawg.
- “My son is almost 12 and is very attached and snuggly but girl this is weird??? This will be on the internet forever. Think about how your son will feel about this in a few years.”
- “As a boy mom, I’m deeply appalled.”
- “For anyone defending this. Would you be okay with it if it was a “comedian” dad and his 12 year old daughter??”
But not everyone viewed the photos through the same lens. Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a family physician and parenting expert, says the controversy is less about the affectionate moment itself and more about the decision to make it public.
“It’s not at all unhealthy or immoral to cuddle, hug, wrestle or be physically close to your teenage child,” Gilboa tells TODAY.com. “It’s impossible to know from almost any snapshot the before, the after or the feelings involved.”
Gilboa says a single image rarely provides enough context for outsiders to accurately judge the dynamics of a parent-child relationship. The more relevant question, she argues, is what happens when intimate family moments are shared with a large online audience. While the photos may reflect a loving and secure bond, posting them publicly can blur boundaries and expose a child to unwanted scrutiny.
“This isn’t only about how our kids would see it now,” Gilboa says. “It’s also about how the 15-, 20- or 25-year-old version of them might encounter it later, through their own eyes, or through what they hear about it from their peers.”
“It doesn’t prove anything about an unhealthy relationship, and it may actually be an example of a great relationship,” she continues. “But we need, for our kids’ sake, to have boundaries about what we post.”
Gilboa adds that strong reactions to Mollen’s photos may also stem from society’s heightened sensitivity to parent-child boundaries. While she says the images alone do not demonstrate anything inappropriate, she understands why some viewers reacted strongly.
“When people are given only a single frame of a relationship, they often fill in the missing context themselves,” Gilboa explains.
Ultimately, she says, “We need, for our kids’ sake, to have boundaries about what we post.”
