by Ascen Arriazu

Created on: July 18, 2008   Last Updated: August 03, 2008

Is it really necesary to installed closed circuit video recording sets in our nurseries and schools?

In this technological era we are living, it seems just like the next step to provide some kind of robot to vigilate the children. Teachers, babysitters and nannies seem to have their days counted. Or at least those days in which they were the owners of the classroom without being scrutinated by the kids' parents (who by the way, may not agree at all with the way they are being treated).

In fact, many nurseries offer a strange method already: direct link from home to the video cameras installed in the children rooms. In this way one can check whether the child has eaten the homemade lunch or has ended up with the usual unhealthy chips; or to see when your baby is being bullied by the older ones.

Many of us wonder whether this is not going too far. Submiting a baby to almost 24 hours videorecording is the closest thing to Big Brother. A game that may be already going on right now in the best private nurseries. We can sit down at home and relax as we see how a member of the staff deals with our little one, maybe better than in conventional circunstances as they know the cameras are up there, recording every single movement.

With staff being so closely monitored and forced to deal with the incomodity of being observed in every detail, it is going to be more and more difficult to find true professionals who love their work and are perfectly able to take good care of our little ones.

On the other hand who doesn't feel better knowing that only with a laptop and an Internet connection we can make sure our children are being taken good care of?

I'm afraid we are aproaching the until now, the futuristic idea of recruiting robots to do jobs that have always been delivered by good caring and responsible profesionals.

Many parents would also see the advantage of saving some money when it comes to looking for the ideal nanny. You pay maybe a high amount initially but then there is no need for feeding or even being nice towards the carer. A machine does not respond emotionally so we would see the kids playing or messing around the house or in the worst of the cases, the nursery, while we take a nice cup of tea on the sofa.

This does not secure the safety of our children though, it only secures good compensation money once the damage has been done.

Let's get real: is all this crazyness really necesary?

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