When it comes to keeping an eye on something, the camera is the most efficient device we have. Due to technological advancement, we now have various types of cameras available in the market, each with different features and functions. One such type of camera we hear a lot about is a nanny cam.
The name “a nanny cam” is given because this camera is specifically used to monitor the babysitter, or in some regions known as the nanny. Nanny used to take care of infants and children. A nanny cam is usually installed at homes to keep an eye on the nanny and the babies even when you are away from home. You can place the camera in a strategic location to hide it, or you can make it visible as you like.
Is it legal to use a nanny cam?
Using a nanny cam mainly depends on where you live, as some states have defined privacy laws, and violating them may put you behind bars. Recording a video and audio without consent is taken as a privacy breach, and therefore you must check the laws before using a nanny cam at your home or a daycare center.
On the other hand, it is allowed to record whatever happens at your home until and unless it’s not a private place such as a nanny’s bedroom or a washroom.
Let’s now look at some advantages and the drawbacks of using a nanny cam at your home.
Advantages of using a nanny cam
A child’s upbringing is a beautiful and mesmerizing experience for parents, but we have nannies to take care of infants due to the workload and several other reasons. To ensure that the nanny is taking good care of your children, you install a nanny cam and check what they are doing whenever you want.
For a parent, it is not easy to hand over the child, especially to a new nanny, and for this reason, a nanny cam is placed so that parents can have peace of mind and can focus on their work while they are away from home.
Nanny cams allow parents to stay connected with their children even when they are not at home; parents do not feel guilty for being away at this time of their life as nanny cams give them a chance to stay in touch at all times.
Not only does the nanny cam allow you to see the children’s activities, but also it gives you a chance to see how a nanny is treating and taking care of your child. Besides that, you can see that nannies are not taking advantage of your absence and misusing the trust you have put in them to leave your child under their supervision.
Seeing their child playing around gives satisfaction to the parents, and the nanny cam gives this opportunity to the parents who cannot stay at their home all the time. Using a nanny cam gives them confidence and a sense of security for their child.
While the advantages are clear, we have some drawbacks of using a nanny cam; let’s talk about them below.
Downsides of using a nanny cam
It all comes down to privacy and trust. If a nanny finds out a hidden camera, the nanny will feel violated, mistrusted and may end up taking care of your child. Due to this reason, you may lose a trustable nanny for your child. For this reason, it is better to let your nanny know about the nanny cam and why it is specifically used. You also need to ensure that the nanny understands you respect privacy and the nanny cam will not be misused in any way.
The other disadvantage is that you cannot cover the entire home with a nanny cam, you can keep an eye on the nanny in the baby’s room, but you will not see what the nanny does in the kitchen. If you want to cover the entire space, you may need to set up many cameras all around the house.
Conclusion
While some parents feel that there is no harm in using technology to monitor their child’s activity, there are people who think it is a privacy breach to record and watch someone’s activity without their consent. This also results in breaking a trust relationship with the family nanny.
Considering this, it is upon the family to use a nanny cam or not and whether to hide it or make it visible so that the nanny knows they are being watched. After all, it is about your child and home belongings, taking steps to ensure safety and protection should be taken, keeping in mind the privacy aspects and state laws.