Along with all the photos of special events, weddings, birthdays, balls, sports triumphs and prizegivings, mums and dads are putting photos of their babies on Facebook. Sometimes their baby is eating when photographed and sometimes they are taking a feeding break and looking at the camera. Lovely – except Facebook thinks if that baby happens to be breastfeeding when the photo is taken and someone complains about seeing a woman's breasts they must take it down to protect "children as young as 13" who may be on Facebook.

Facebook, in response to a challenge from the Guardian, has stated:

"The vast majority of breast-feeding pictures posted to Facebook don't break our rules … so they remain on our site. However some photos, like ones that contain a fully exposed breast that do break our rules, so we will remove them if they are reported to us."

Facebook is very confused. They seem to think breasts are only about sex, but breasts have more than one function. Adults know that lips and hands are used for sex, but if they are being used for eating, smiling or waving we all understand that it is fine for children to see them and for pictures containing hands and lips to be on Facebook. So please can we apply the same rule to breasts and to nipples – yes, even to nipples.

Far from "protecting" children from seeing breasts used for their biologically normal function, research suggests that it is helpful for children and young adults to see breastfeeding as a normal activity and to allow them to develop an everyday language for talking about how babies are fed. There is good evidence that seeing someone you know and care about breastfeeding their baby is likely to make it feel like a more realistic option when it comes to decisions about feeding your own baby, and improved normalisation of breastfeeding in public places (including on the internet) may increasingly enable future parents to consider it themselves.

The outdated notion that breastfeeding is something that should be hidden away contradicts international public health messages, which encourage mothers to breastfeed exclusively for six months, with continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond. It also seems to run against the direction of recent UK equality legislation, which makes it clear that mothers have the right to breastfeed wherever they are with their babies.

In its response to the Guardian, Facebook emphasise that its is "a diverse 845 million people strong community". The implication is that while Facebook may "agree that breastfeeding is natural" and feel comfortable with pictures of mothers breastfeeding, there are many people who would not be.

In fact, most adults are just fine with seeing mothers breastfeed. In a Department of Health (England) survey, 84% of adults didn't have a problem with women breastfeeding in public places. This was repeated in a survey in Wales, where 85% of adults weren't concerned about women breastfeeding in front of them.

Its worth considering whether the whole hoo-ha isn't a bit of an outmoded western taboo – in Egypt, India and many other countries, mothers don't worry about breastfeeding or exposing their breasts to do so when they are out and about, even if their faces are covered. Arguments that certain cultures or religions would be offended by images of breastfeeding are also unsubstantiated.

Islam encourages breastfeeding in its texts. "The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, [that is] for those [parents] who desire to complete the term of suckling."

In Taiwan, the Public Breastfeeding Act safeguards the right to breastfeed in public, and those who forbid, eject, or interfere with breastfeeding in public are fined.

In Saudi Arabia, women openly breastfeed their babies even though they may be fully veiled.

In the Philippines, breastfeeding is protected by various laws and mothers are allowed to breastfeed in public, with public institutions and buildings required to provide places where mothers can breastfeed or express milk should they wish and these must not be in bathrooms.

And in the land where Facebook was founded, 47 states had passed legislation by 2009 which provides an explicit right for women to breastfeed in public or to at least exempt them from prosecution under indecency laws.

Facebook is in a position to make a big difference to mothers and their babies across the globe right now by doing very little. All the company needs to do is to change its policy so it no longer undermines the support mothers are looking for, and getting, from family and friends. A positive side-effect of a change of policy would be that more parents can learn directly from mothers they know personally about "what breastfeeding looks like" and that women and their partners with least experience of breastfeeding have more opportunity to see their friends' pictures on the internet.

So, come on Facebook. Do us all a favour, move with the times and leave these mums alone!

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