Dangers of webcams
Categories: Teens & Tweens, Media, Gadgets & Tech, That's Entertainment
I cannot think of any good reason for a child to have a webcam in their bedroom. The whole notion of a little camera eye blinking at a young kid from behind is computer is...creepy to me. And apparently there is a reason that the notion makes me shudder a little.
A British children's Internet group has advised parents to ban youngsters from using webcams in their bedrooms after news broke that up to 42 girls from Kent, England, could be among the victims of a man facing pornography charges in Canada. The man apparently tricked girls into exposing themselves on camera and threatened them if they did not.
The Internet is such a rich resource for so many things; it's a shame that it attracts so many predators as well.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Linda 7-30-2006 @ 12:44PM
I was just reading the blog about the webcam in childrens bedrooms. I was upset by the fact that not only are there predators out there like that but also puzzled by our parnets out there that would put one on there childs computer in the first place. I am from the old school that children need to be watched and guided in lifes journey so they can reconize when someone is honest or dishonest. I can't beleive what our socity done to our home life. Computers are a nice tool for homework and staying in touch with family and friends but should be out in the open so that mom and day can Watch them and make sure they are safe and not getting themselves into trouble without even knowing it. I'm not scolding anyone just putting it out there that maybe we should take another look at how we interact with each other and our children. Thanks for reading regardsless if you agree or disagee with me. Thanks for this blog to let me express myself freely.
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thordora 7-30-2006 @ 1:08PM
We have a web cam, due to in law meddling, and I have already told my husband that in the next year or so, it's going out the door.
The risks are so great, for something with no real use. Why it would ever be in a child's bedroom is beyond me. At the same time, this case has opened up a new dialogue between my husband and I regarding how we will educate our children against this type of thing.
It bothers me that so many young girls got sucked into this, but it really bothers me to think about how naive some parents still continue to be around technology. Most of the time I argue "parenting"-but with web cams, I call for burning.
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Matthew Miller 7-30-2006 @ 2:48PM
We have a webcam so our far-away parents can do video-chat with their granddaughter. That seems a lot more than "no real use". I certainly wouldn't, however, set it up for her to chat with random people or broadcast on the internet!
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ann adams 7-30-2006 @ 3:03PM
I have one too which I seldom use. Why would I want someone to see me as I really am?
I don't let the girls use it without me sitting here and I agree about the dangers to both girls and boys.
That being said, please let's not pass a law banning webcams. We have too many laws already.
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thordora 7-30-2006 @ 3:28PM
Sorry Matthew-our in-laws got it for us and harrassed us into connecting it so they can "see" our daughters-it causes more annoyance than any other device in our house, hence the "no real use" comment.
It's just one device that seems to do more harm than good in most cases. I'm much prefer emailing them pictures that having the thing glaring down at me as it is right now. Just my opinion, that's all. :)
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Julie 7-30-2006 @ 4:31PM
I totally understand there are great uses for webcams, but I've had a computer for years and haven't managed to convince myself of a webcam's necessity, despite my penchant for fun electronic toys.
A webcam in a kid's room? Weird.
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The Zero Boss 7-30-2006 @ 5:05PM
The problem here is not the webcam, which can be very valuable for business and for entertainment purposes. (And no, not THAT kind of entertainment...) The problem is parents who don't supervise their kids' Internet use. There's a good reason why we have the household computers in plain sight, and don't allow computers in the kids' rooms.
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