Technology — the devil on a parent’s shoulder
Two months ago, I flicked on the news and was shocked to see a story about a mother looking through her baby monitor and seeing another child’s crib. Edana Day had spent $250 on an award-winning Uniden monitor and therefore expected a high quality. She was sick to her stomach as she realised this fault could mean that other people can see her daughter’s bedroom. Although not a parent, I am a babysitter and have looked through various baby monitors in my time. However, I can’t say I have experienced this, nor do I ever want to.
This realisation got me to researching, and according to experts this is not uncommon: cases have been reported around the globe for years. In 2014, the Nine Network reported a Russian website live streaming baby monitors, security cameras and webcams online for anyone to view. The technology devil on our shoulder is sharing our private lives with the world and if we continue to use these products, then I don’t see how we can eliminate the chances of it happening to us or our children.
It was not long ago that checking on your child involved getting off the couch and quietly peering through their door. Now, to have a child without a baby monitor just seems barbaric. We live in such a fast-paced world where nearly every piece of technology is built for an easier and faster experience. I did an internet search on best technology for an expectant mum and the first result was a baby monitor. My search also received items such as a thermometer you can attach to your child’s skin and read from your phone, a rocking chair that automatically rocks your child without you lifting a finger, and a machine that shushes in your babies room when it wakes so you don’t have to. In addition to every parenting app imaginable, there are even ones that track their poos!
We are in the midst of a technology revolution and the implications are far bigger than we know. I babysit for over ten families and I can’t think of a single one that does not have a smartphone or tablet just for the children’s use. In fact, many of my toddlers have their own device. Talk about a potential for security and safety breaches. I once had a child watching Lego videos on their iPad and they somehow landed on a Lego porno of sorts, something most definitely not suitable for a 6-year-old. This is one of many examples when technology has broken my trust.
This is not an entirely new issue. For decades, concern around privacy has been rife. We used to be worried if our postcards were read by the postman or if the neighbours whispered about our arguments. The difference now is the scale and speed that data can be taken and never returned. This isn’t Jenny looking through your baby monitor, it is Jenny looking and then streaming for the world to see in a matter of seconds without consent.
Think for a second about how this could quickly become dangerous. Someone can see through your baby monitor and they see a letter sitting on the table with your address. Now they now know where you live and when your child is asleep in their room alone. Scary, right? Now I know it is not possible to remove these technologies from our lives, as we have become so dependent on them to juggle the fast-paced world we live in. However, as consumers I do believe we need to be weary as a little data can tell someone a lot about you and your children, whether it be through a nap time app or baby monitor.
