Knowing what celebrities are up to, staying up to date with the way they look, and who they are interacting with has become a significant part of today’s culture. People spend so much time, effort, and money in order to spy on people and investigate their lives simply because that person is famous. Photographers will often go to places that celebrities frequent or even wait outside their house in order to get photos that no one else could (Dakss 2005).  If this was happening to someone who wasn’t famous it would be considered stalking, so why should paparazzi be allowed to invade celebrities’ personal lives? 

Paparazzi have even gone as far as putting these public figures in the way of harm just to get a shot of them. They will often pursue cars or even collide with them in their chase of someone famous. Celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, and Robert Pattinson have all gotten into car crashes trying to get away from photographers. In Brian Dakss 2005 article, he makes it clear that Princess Diana is a prime example of how dangerous paparazzi can be and the type of unnecessary danger they can put celebrities in. 

These photographers don’t just target the celebrities, they also target their kids and loved ones. This puts a lot of kids at risk and throws them into the spotlight at a very young age. This instills paranoia and a need to be perfect at all times which puts a lot of pressure on young children. Photographers are, “willing to break laws and go to extreme lengths to harass celebrities and, unbelievably, even their young children” (Rose 2023). Many celebrities will take the time to make sure they hide the majority of their childrens’ identities in order to protect their privacy and it is incredibly important to them to make sure their kids are as out of public view as possible. Children should not be exploited, used as a tool for people to gain traction in the world of fame, or even photographed by paparazzi so they can make money. 

Paparazzi provide an inside look at a celebrity’s life to the public, but is it really worth the damage it could do to a person? Social media has significantly impacted the role of and need for paparazzi over the years. They are becoming less prevalent and it might be for the better. It might be time to let celebrities decide what the public views of them for the safety of themselves and their families.