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My neighbor's kid asked me why I have a sticker over my laptop camera

I was sitting on my porch last Tuesday, just sorting mail before my route, and the 10 year old from next door came over to ask about a package. He saw my personal laptop open on the table with a little black sticker over the webcam. He pointed and said, 'Why'd you break your camera?' I explained it wasn't broken, it was to stop anyone from possibly watching without me knowing. He got this totally confused look and said, 'But my mom says our tablet is safe, it's for school.' It hit me right then how this stuff is just normal for them, they don't even get the concept of turning a camera off. I told him it's like closing the curtains at night, just a simple habit. He shrugged and ran off, but it stuck with me all week. How do you even start explaining digital privacy to a kid when their whole world is built on being watched? Has anyone else had a moment like that with a younger person?
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3 Comments
alicew68
alicew681mo ago
Used to think it was paranoid until my niece asked.
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daniel857
daniel8571mo ago
Watch that happen all the time at the library. Kids just assume the tech is a friendly window, not a door someone else could open. Makes you wonder what we're building as normal for them.
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nelson.nancy
Teach them to log out every time.
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