To Spy or Not to Spy on the Ayi?

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Children are precious and oh-so-vulnerable. In a perfect world, we would stay with them 24/7 until they went off to college. But in our imperfect world, Daddy and Mommy may have to go to work, or they may just need a break from baby duties once in a while. In comes a hired caregiver to help you out! But leaving your kid with someone other than a trusted family member may leave you feeling understandably anxious. So what can you do to help alleviate some of that anxiety?

Our very own Beijing go-to group for all things baby–Bumps2Babies–was recently abuzz with discussion around nanny cameras. Many parents felt the need to have cameras installed inside the house when they leave their precious little ones with an ayi. Others reasoned that the fundamental trust that should exist between employer and caregiver is broken when you install cameras, and that installing cameras invades the caregiver’s privacy. But are you invading their privacy or are you simply taking no chances? Because, let’s face it, there are whackos out there dressed in caregiver attire!

A good nanny is a valuable one.

So, should we be spying on the nannies?

Let’s look at the yeas and nays of nanny cams, as well as find out what is allowed under Chinese law.

01.

The Yeas

Terrible, unthinkable acts of abuse by caregivers have been caught on camera, including incidents where young children were kicked around like rag dolls in their own homes, or where elderly women and men were tortured in nursing homes. 

Suspicions are simply that–suspicions. Doing anything rash, or firing your nanny because you suspect her of theft or mistreating the kids, may land you in employment tribunals being sued by the nanny. Nanny cams can help you resolve suspicions and get concrete evidence of abuse inside your home.

Even if your nanny has the best intentions, mistakes or accidents can still happen, so in the event of a moment of simple negligence, or if your nanny herself faints or becomes otherwise incapacitated, you can keep up with what’s happening and potentially save a life.

Nanny cams are a relatively inexpensive investment. 

02.

The Nays

The temptation for parents to install nanny cameras in their homes is perfectly logical. I probably would too if I had to leave my child with a nanny for more than three hours every single day, but I don’t because I am a stay-at-home mom. But while it is understandable that parents will install spy cameras to watch what goes on with the children and the nanny at home, have we also thought about how violating it is to the nannies’ privacy? 

Nannies working in households where cameras are installed have reported incidents where their employers micromanaged them, causing extreme unease. Many have said that employers would call them every minute or hour asking about the things they had observed via the camera. One nanny recalled her boss asking her things like “You were in the bathroom for so long, what were you doing? What is my son holding in his left hand? Why is that toy lying on the floor? Why did you sit down for so long?” The nanny could barely scratch an itch without the parent noticing it on the nanny cam.

Nanny cam use may also show a lack of trust in your children’s caregiver. If they feel you can’t trust them, they won’t feel too good coming to work. 

Not to mention, we’ve all heard of hacks in security systems. Imagine the nanny camera is somehow hacked into, and strangers with nefarious objectives are then able to watch your nanny and child’s every move! In China and many other parts of the world, the nanny CAN sue you if her privacy is breached in this way.

Those against the nanny cam argue that when you start getting suspicious about the nanny you can simply get rid of her. No need to install a camera. Better still, you could just pop in back home unannounced, the reasoning being that this can tell you a lot about how responsible your nanny is. These occasional, unexpected visits can keep your nanny from getting too complacent, and save you a buck or two with the nanny cameras.

Check if you have to act on that gut feeling.

03.

Let’s Hear It From the Parents:

Kenneth, a father of four, says he would absolutely install a nanny cam: “ Trust or lack thereof isn’t so much the issue here. It is just to have the peace of mind that your children are being well taken care of. Like the Russians say, “Trust–but verify.”

Stella and her husband, Mark, both had highly demanding jobs in the banking sector. There was no other choice but to hire a nanny for their two children. They didn’t install nanny cameras in the house, something Stella says she regrets. “My son told us a few years ago, long after the nanny had left, that she [the nanny]used to pinch him to make him eat his meals up quicker. She would also serve the children baked beans and nothing else, days on end. To this day my son does not eat baked beans. Had I had a camera installed, I’d have found all this out a little earlier.” 

Having trust in your nanny is important but it may not be enough. “I installed nanny cameras in my house,” said Augusta, a mother of three, “because [my children]were younger than five and I felt they were so vulnerable I needed that camera for my peace of mind when I was away from home.”

04.

人物介绍｜PROFILE

What one can lawfully get away with when it comes to cameras and monitoring depends on which country you live in. You should check the local laws on surveillance and individual privacy before turning into Inspector Clouseau! We asked a Chinese litigation lawyer to clarify what the law here says when it comes to home surveillance:

The camera needs to be set up in and around your own home, and not in the wider neighborhood, or on every road that the nanny may travel upon with your little precious one–that would be spying on the entire neighborhood (Hint: For tracking the nanny and baby outside your home, buy a GPS tracker and place it in the diaper bag area of the baby stroller).

In China, there’s no law that requires you to inform the nanny about the presence of cameras. So, potentially, you could go real undercover detective and place those teeny-weeny little cameras in a flower vase, a stuffed animal, or in a clock. However, informing the ayi of the presence of the cameras is something you might wish to do out of courtesy. Let her know that you have no suspicions about her actions around the kids. Reassure her that you’re just taking extra steps to make sure you can feel certain about your children’s safety when you’re not around. 

The law in most countries in the world, including China, is clear on where cameras should be placed–and the bathroom is not one of these places. You can’t install cameras where the nanny sleeps or changes clothes either.

Never install any sort of surveillance software on the nanny’s phone. This is sneaky, wrong, psycho, and, most importantly, illegal.

With all this said, though, to a great extent our identities and privacy are no longer ours.

Smile! We are all on camera.

We live in a world where we are constantly being watched. On the streets or in our jobs there’s always closed-circuit television (CCTV) watching our every move. In our own homes we are (knowingly or unknowingly) watched too. If your home appliance connects to the Internet, chances are you are being watched. Your mobile phone, TV, remote controls, toaster, clocks, or coffee machine may all be “tracking” your words, thoughts, habits, and behavior.

So, given this, why shouldn’t we track nannies who are caring for our vulnerable children and elderly in our own homes?

Images: Pexels

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