To get cameras for one DS is home alone?

[Twinkiebinkieseven]

Hi all,

My DS is 11 and will be in secondary school in September. 2 days a week he'll be home before I am for about 2 hours. I'm thinking of whether I should get a video doorbell and internal camera for a bit of peace of mind. It would be great to hear from anyone who had them for this reason or, anyone who would have a reason to decide against it?

We have a key safe as DS never remembers his keys, and he has life 360 with an alert when he gets home that pings on my phone. No issue with a ring doorbell but why an internal camera? That's just creepy.

You have cameras in your kids' bedrooms?

For the first few months of high school I got my eleven year old to text me when she was home. But then covid happened and we were home anyway.

If you trust them enough to be home alone that should be sufficient.

My dd walked home from year five and she had her key on a piece on elastic tied to the inside of her school bag.

My son would NEVER check his phone or respond to messages so we started plugging the dog cam in. We only use it to check he's present snd alive. 😆

Cameras in bedrooms? What on earth for?

I'm with everyone else that indoor cameras are a no, that's another level

I think yes to the ring doorbell, assists to the safety of your home overall, gives you piece of mind DS is home however if you feel you need internal camera’s then that would suggests he isn’t mature enough to be home alone

Having cameras in your kids' bedrooms is actually pretty disturbing. Why on earth would you do that?

A Ring doorbell is acceptable just in case ds would rather not deal with parcel deliveries etc but indoor cameras is overkill. Teenagers like their privacy and so would I.
You can make him keep his location active on his phone ?

Ring doorbell is great and useful for deliveries as much as seeing when your child gets home. We also have a side camera/light and one for the garden (people could access the property from the back). It's great if you hear something and want to check without going outside. I like it when I'm home alone. Also helpful if someone is at the door so you can check before answering. Internal cameras definitely not! We also have a key safe so the children never have to carry keys with them (no chance of them losing them). We also use the Life 360 app so can see where each other are. The children were keen to have this when they first started going out alone and we've kept it as so useful.

DS is 11 and by himself for 2 hours most evenings, if he forgets his key, his dad works nearby, so he can walk there.

He has a phone he texts us on when he got home, also for the first few weeks, I was at home, in the afternoons so he could get use to it.

We also can check what he is up to online when we are not there (and when we are)

If there are any major problems, he can ring either of us and we can pick up.

Install google family link on your phones. You can see when he leaves arrives and set alerts if you want to. We use it not to “spy” but to be able to know where dc are when we need too. They like knowing we can check their location (but they probably won’t as they older 🤣🤣🤣)

You either trust him to be at home or you don't.

Surveillance is not the answer.

I find the idea of inside cameras-particularly in the kid's bedrooms quite shocking. Why would you do that?

My son is also 11- we don’t have any cameras and I just text if he’s home before me. However with your son having adhd, for your peace of mind id go with a ring doorbell and a key safe.

I wouldn’t go for cameras inside. I think it’s too much. My daughter is 9 and her friend (also 9) has 18 cameras in and outside of her house including in her bedroom. My daughter went to sleep there and I told her to get changed in the bathroom not the bedroom. It’s a massive invasion of privacy imo.

I got a Ring doorbell for this reason. Obviously it’s great for security too and I love having it generally but I got it for peace of mind that my teen was home when he said he was etc. I absolutely wouldn’t get cameras inside the home - that would be an invasion of privacy to me but the Ring doorbell is absolutely fab just for safety :-)

Tracker on his phone but not cameras in the house.

Video doorbell, sure, not internal camera.

Ring would be great in general, I love mine. It would also give you peace of mind that he's got home from school safely. Indoor cameras, absolute no, though.

Other than anything else, I really doubt you want to know what an almost-teen gets up to when home alone, and it's illegal to film it.

If you happen to decide you are going to go ahead with indoor cameras, absolutely make sure he knows exactly where they are and when they're live, but I think it's a complete invasion of his privacy.

Why is it illegal to film it? I have an elderly family member who lives alone and whilst in pretty good health is sometimes unsteady on his feet, his son has nanny cam type cameras around the house (with the fathers knowledge) in case he falls and needs help

In fact how are the cameras even sold if it's illegal to use them, are you sure that's right?

The poster putting cameras in her 13 year olds bedroom should be fucking ashamed.

Parents these days are pathetic. And then you read the other thread about kids being anxious and blaming covid for it. I suspect it's more to do with their mum spying on them and staring at an app tracking their every fucking move

"I also use 360 to track my youngest (he is now 14) because he gets the train home and its easier to track him than relying on him to tell me if he has missed it etc."

Just because something is "easier" it doesn't mean you should do it. How about trusting your 14 year old to navigate his way onto the next train and asking him to text to let you know what time he'll be home?!

You must be sitting staring at the app everyday watching over his tracker as the train pulls out of the station. Do you not think that's a bit fucking weird? He's 14.

Ring doorbell fine. But internal cameras in a massive invasion of privacy, I wouldn’t even visit the home of someone who has them. Should almost be illegal.

Tracking your teen kids should also be illegal unless they’ve asked for it. Disgusting.

I definitely think cameras inside the house is beyond weird, it's illegal to film in changing rooms - surely it should be illegal to film in a bedroom.