Parent in Ahmedabad spyon their children

In a bizarre instance of parental concern, the parents of a Standard VI student in the city placed a spy camera in his room to keep watch on him round the clock. The student, Ravi Patel (named changed), discovered recently that what he had always taken to be a pen was actually a spy camera through which his parents were keeping tabs on him even in his room.

“Ravi is just 12 years old,” said a close relative of the family, “which is why he wasn’t very upset. His parents got the idea of the spy camera from an advertisement on TV about goods that could be bought through tele-shopping. One of the goods on offer was the spy camera. The advert demonstrated how parents could monitor their children’s activities secretly.”

Ravi’s mother had apparently seen the advert and ordered the spy camera with the consent of his father. But psychologists, who were told about the incident, were unanimous in condemning the parents’ behaviour. They said it is unhealthy if parents don’t trust their children as it shows that there is a huge communication gap in the family.

“It’s a breach of trust that may have serious consequences when the child grows up,” said Prashant Bhimani, a city-based consulting psychologist. “In their subconscious, children are unable to forget such display of mistrust by parents. They tend to lose faith in their parents.”