Hidden camera for 'nannies', the new parental neurosis
In recent months, a new type of hidden camera video has been circulating on social media. These are images of nannies being monitored remotely by the children's parents, primarily in the United States, who post the recorded domestic scenes on Instagram or other platforms: "I caught the nanny behaving like this with my child." The images don't seem particularly problematic. They're typical of the everyday routine of caring for a young child: a woman feeding a toddler or a woman singing a song to a two-year-old sitting on the kitchen counter. These scenes, on the surface, appear unremarkable. But if you look at the comments, you discover the underlying intention. Some express approval of the nanny's behavior: "What a sweet scene! How lucky to find a..." nanny "That's right!" Others are outraged: "If it were my child, I would have fired this woman already." The videos aim to evaluate the nanny by delegating the judgment to the audience. As if the opinions would help those parents validate their perception or simply decide whether or not to trust that worker. Now they serve as a shield against parental anxiety. The Cut, the digital magazine of New York MagazineShe has dedicated a report to the transformation of nannies' work, subjected to increasing and unbearable pressure marked by mistrust, hyper-vigilance, and technological control. In New York, the nanny profession, of nannyIt has a long tradition linked to the history and social structure of the city. Despite the precariousness of the sector, with irregular wages and little labor protection, these are usually people with training and years of experience, backed by specialized agencies or with letters of recommendation from several families. They are not simply occasional support for girls who do it as a side job.
The 'elimination communication'
The Cut The report includes testimonies from nannies: cameras in every room, strollers with electronic devices to monitor the route, a ban on going outside during an eight-hour shift to avoid danger, and contracts specifying the songs and tone of voice to be used at all times. One nanny explains that she was fired for stopping to buy food and causing the mother to panic when she saw her deviate a few dozen meters from the agreed-upon route. Some parents constantly interrupt spontaneous play to impose prescribed educational activities or show up at lunchtime to supervise the eating process. Some enforce behavioral practices such as...elimination communication In babies a few weeks old, parents should observe the baby's subtle cues to detect if they are about to urinate or defecate, thus avoiding the need for diapers. At the appropriate time, only The newborn must be taken to a locker.
While parents exert extreme control over nannies, they adopt unrestrained parenting styles with their own children. Nannies bear full responsibility but are constantly undermined. If their job was once to care for children, now they must manage the insecurities, anxieties, and contradictions of the families. They are disciplined executors of parental neurosis. Many are choosing to change jobs.
If this trend intensifies, raising children through hypervigilance will become normalized. Children will find control and distrust of others natural, they will understand that autonomy is suspect, and that there is no room for intimacy. This is a parenting style that reproduces Foucault's panopticon, where authority is internalized. It is bleak to imagine how these generations will grow up.
