Washington ? President-elect Barack Obama’s two daughters were whisked into their new schools on Monday past waiting photographers.

If custom is any guide, the news media will keep their distance now that they have captured 10-year-old Malia in her puffy pink jacket and 7-year-old Sasha with her pigtails, pink camouflage backpack and turquoise Uglydoll.

But protecting the privacy of the presidential children is more difficult than ever. Even if White House photographers are no problem for the Obamas, there are still the paparazzi to worry about, as illustrated by the “beefcake” photos of a shirtless president-elect taken during the Obama family vacation in Hawaii.

Then there’s any seventh-grader with a cell phone camera and a Facebook page.

“It is an exaggerated example of what parents face routinely when their kids are online,” said Carolyn Jabs, who writes a syndicated column called Growing Up Online. “For the Obama girls, that is a given that it will get out of hand.”

Blogs have already critiqued what every member of the family wears. A bad hair day, schoolyard gossip or a manipulated photo can cause problems for any child, Jabs said. Imagine if the greater free world were watching.

At Sidwell Friends, children are not allowed cell phones at school, which should keep the girls shielded at least through the school day. Malia is in fifth grade at the middle school campus in the District of Columbia, while Sasha is in second grade at the Bethesda, Md., elementary-school campus.