Anna Paquin has said it is not fair for parents to post pictures of their children on social media.

She said that “momma bear doesn’t like people coming near the cubs”, and would not allow press access to her two children.

The former child actress achieved widespread fame after winning a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in The Piano when she was just 11.

Paquin believes she was fortunate to grow up without the pressures of having her life recorded on social media, and refuses to undermine the privacy of her own children by sharing images of them online.

The star has shared her concerns about young people posting online and being lumbered with their youthful decisions, and does not want to inflict that burden on her children.

She said: “I got to do normal silly teenage stuff without there being photos of it absolutely everywhere.

“Kids now, I feel like, photograph everything and put it all out there, and I just don’t think that you’re old enough for the long-term repercussions of that.

“My husband and I have made very specific choices about our own lives and I’ll talk about parenting.

“I’ll talk about mummy stuff but I’m not sharing pictures of those tiny humans who have no idea what they’re being put into. It doesn’t feel fair.”

Paquin believes that she and husband Stephen Moyer should not cave into pressure from the press to offer access in return for being left in peace, which she has seen fail for other people in the public eye.

She said: “There is also the school of thought from people, like: ‘Well if you give a little bit, then they leave you alone.’

“Well, I have not found that to be the case, and I’ve watched a lot of other parents and it’s like: ‘OK, so they did those first baby pics and supposedly that means they should get left alone’ and they don’t get left alone, and I’m like: ‘No, I’m sorry’.”

Paquin stars in upcoming series Flack, following her PR executive character through publicity crises in London.

– Flack airs on the W Channel on Thursday February 21.