Are parents allowed to install a camcorder in my room?

Every second teenager thinks his parents are spying on him. At the same time, parents do many things to protect kids from the outside world, childish unreasonableness and possible serious mistakes but often is it perceived as an encroachment on privacy.

Let’s see how legal the situation is when a parent has installed a camera in a child’s room.

Fears of children and teenagers

“I can’t believe it! Are you FOLLOWING me !? “This is the most common phrase used by teenagers when they discover a camera.

What children are afraid of: 

• violation of personal boundaries, time and space. However, children cannot fully support full-fledged critical thinking and do not understand that personal space is a privilege and not a child’s original right. It is rare for a parent to put a surveillance camera in a child’s room as a preventive measure. As a rule, video surveillance of a child appears when he has not justified the parents’ trust;
• covert surveillance, which has no apparent signs of presence. The micro camera can be disguised as an everyday household item. The child is ashamed of his natural behaviour and habits. He may also be embarrassed by the possibility of getting into the camera naked; 
• mistrust, betrayal of parents. A heightened perception of the world and the negative impact of the environment often leads to the fact that parents cease to be the closest people and are perceived as constraints or opponents.

Read the article “Video surveillance of children: 3 main reasons + 4 principles” to get the most useful information on this topic.

Parents’ concerns

The video camera in the children’s room appears to monitor and protect the child. As a rule, the child has already admitted several situations that have reduced parents trust.

What parents fear:

• physical threats, danger to the child (gas, fire, people coming into the house in the absence of parents);
• physical and mental threats from service personnel, such as a nanny or tutor;
• failure to do homework and household chores;
• excessive time spent at the computer, including hobbies for dangerous games (“Run or Die”, “Blue Whale”, “Disappear for 24 hours, etc.); 
• threats arising from smoking, taking drugs, pills, alcohol; 
• negatively influencing environment, including “bad” friends.

CONCLUSIONS: In most cases, if the child does not give cause for concern, parents do not even think about video cameras. Parental trust is a consequence of a child’s good behaviour and responsibility.

Legal installation of cameras in children’s rooms

According to the Russian Federation’s current legislation, video surveillance of a teenager/children is not prohibited. This is because until the age of majority (18 years), children are dependents and current privacy regulations do not apply to them. 

Also, all children up to 4 years old must be under constant parental supervision. The simplest monitoring method is a baby monitor. These devices are installed for continuous monitoring.

If the family has children with limited physical and mental abilities, parents have the right to install video recording equipment throughout the apartment/house. This is about ensuring the safety of the child.

Illegal installation of cameras in children’s rooms

You should not install video cameras to monitor children if: 

• you use spy, camouflaged equipment and other types of covert surveillance; 
• the aim is to photograph children for the dissemination pornographic nature information.

It is strictly forbidden to mount cameras in showers, bathrooms, washrooms and dressing rooms. To familiarize yourself with all possible prohibitions on video surveillance, read the article “Ban on video surveillance. What is it?”.

Solutions

Parental control is a duty and responsibility. Parents often devote a lot of their time to work, so remote monitoring via phone is a genuine concern.

How to establish observation and not create a conflict between children and parents?

Dialogue between parents and children

There is no better solution than dialogue. You need to talk to children and explain in words the reasons for installing cameras. The direct relationship between the level of parental trust and the child’s honesty / good behaviour / responsibility is clear only to an adult. To children, and especially teenagers, these connections need to be explained several times.

Consultation with a specialist

In the absence of dialogue between generations, it is advisable to involve specialists (psychologists, consultants).

Conclusion

Sociologists have proved the positive effect of video surveillance on the human psyche. Video surveillance in an apartment / house with children, in many cases, is necessary due to the need for parental control and the lack of self-organization skills in children.