Comments on: Oprah Says Webcams are Evil. Are They?

By: Frank Schnyder

Frank Schnyder — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:39:40 +0000

It’s like I always say in these cases: If we didn’t have the Internet, we’d still have the streets.

Sounds like this kid wanted to get into trouble. An 11-year old claiming ingnorance MAY be plausible, but he must’ve enjoyed it on some level to keep doing it and knew that he was getting away with something. Blaming the technology is just stupid.

I agree with the_kcar. Children can should be allowed to have monitored access to a computer in their room. It’s like anything else with parenting. It comes down to trust. If you’re kid is Lisa Simpson, have at it! If you have a Bart, though, you have more problems than just the computer.

Thanks to Oprah and the jury she calls her viewers for blowing one isolated incident out of proportion and inciting fear in the masses once again.

By: Bainsy95

Bainsy95 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:19:50 +0000

Dude! Throw away a webcam! Forget that, for many people, a webcam is an investment, so that they can communicate with people all over the world, so to be safe, you should understand how to be safe online.
And just a quick tip, is you have a webcam (especially if you are on windows), when you are not using it, point it away from yourself, incase somebody hacks it (and it can happen) they can film you, and there have been some cases on youtube, where people have posted videos of others, in front of their webcam, watching them getting changed.

By: coosbaytv

coosbaytv — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:58:02 +0000

Chris, I couldn’t agree with YOU more!

For all of us in rural areas, the web (cam or not) is what connects us to the rest of society…

Keep up the good work.

By: the_kcar

the_kcar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:59:05 +0000

Yeah…how to put this?
Computers in kids’ rooms – yes, go for it.
Open-door policy – while there is a computer in the kids’ rooms, there is knowledge that the parents can – and will – come into the room at all times.
Cams in kids’ rooms – NO.
Keep any audio and video in the main area either in the living room or in another out-in-the-open main area of the house.

Keyloggers: install and use them.

If the kids immediately hide their activities when the parents enter the room, that’s a red flag.

If the kids want to use the a/v equipment, they can migrate to the “public” computer, knowing that there will be a POS around at all times.

Parents have to learn the popular acronyms, like “POS”, etc.

Kids are bound to grow up. Parents, too, have to grow up.

That’s all I have to say about that.

By: SBSPENCE

SBSPENCE — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:02:26 +0000

I think that Oprah is evil…

By: oli kenobi

oli kenobi — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:28:54 +0000

Excellent video.
Chris, you approached and handled the topic very well.

I can’t agree more on your arguments. People must be in control of their use of technology.

And parents MUST learn how to use it so they can teach their children.

By: LegoShark

LegoShark — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:24:50 +0000

People always blow things WAY out of proportion. its abnoxious to see people who seemingly don’t know what they’re talking about or had one isolated incident say something that they think applies to each and every one of us. I think that webcams are fine, but people who would do some stupid thing lik what that kid did are… well… stupid. Please, be a decent human being.

By: Ryan Kenneth Hamel

Ryan Kenneth Hamel — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:48:39 +0000

Webcams are webcams. It is the people that use them that makes it bad or good.

By: Zetacon

Zetacon — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:13:31 +0000

I agree. Parents do have to play a role in this no matter what. They should be monitoring what their kids do online. Kids, it is to protect you, not because your parents hate you.

By: David

David — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:05:04 +0000

I did see that Oprah episode when it first aired. The boy was receiving multiple packages (gifts) on a daily bases, and the parents never questioned any of them for that matter it sounded like they where never home. Also, I do not believe the kid was as innocent as he let on.

It is far easier to say something is evil then to take time to educate and understand it.

By: jsf

jsf — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:49:26 +0000

I absolutely agree. Kids can’t handle having a webcam because of so many different dangers on the web and people who look to exploit them. I’m not the biggest fan or parental monitoring, but in reality, it is one of the few ways for parents to truly keep their children safe from the perverts and porn stars of our technological age. The fact of the matter is that webcams are great for connecting with friends and family, but stripping for the camera is just bad no matter who it is for. Even the Fred’s mom (Fred on Zipit.com) avodcates safe internet use when she told him to never strip for the camera. If that maybe half sober mom can keep that much of an eye on her son, then all parents should. *nod* But throwing away a web cam is just unthinkable…a total waste of hardware.

By: Brennan Jones

Brennan Jones — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:52:14 +0000

Webcams are not evil. They can actually bring a lot of good into people’s lives IF they are used responsibly. They can help you keep in touch with others around you, they can help you keep watch on your property, pets, or kids while you’re away from home, and they can do so much more. However, webcams can be evil IF they are used irresponsibly. If you lay your hand onto a webcam, it is your responsibility to know what could happen if you use it for the wrong purposes. It is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children what they should not do on the internet and with a webcam, and it is also a parent’s responsibility to monitor what their children do on the internet: generally what internet sites they visit; who they talk to; and what they do with a webcam. If those things could be done, there would be no problem in owning a webcam.

By: Arthur Cnops

Arthur Cnops — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:58:07 +0000

Could someone post the hyperlink to that first video with Chris’ first webcam please?

By: Cliffystones

Cliffystones — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:04:17 +0000

I was just informed a couple of days ago that a family friend’s daughter that was visiting from out of town witnessed one of my 12yo son’s friends looking at “naked girls” online. She said my son wasn’t in the room, but it woke me up to the need for a little vigilance on my part.

After researching, I think I’m going with the I-Boss router which secures the whole network. It seemed like a better solution for my family, which has multiple wired and wireless PCs. The router will secure the whole network, as opposed to having to liscense and install software on every PC.

I fully agree that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children, but todays society doesn’t help much. We seem to be awash in a sea of sex, violence, foul language and poor social behavior, and mom and dad can only filter out so much of it. If the kids aren’t surfing porn on my pc’s, whose to say they won’t just skip down the street to the (less tech saavy) neighbor’s house?

Lastly, I’d like to invite anyone reading the article above to substitute the word “webcam” with the word “gun”. Both are inanimate objects, it’s the end-user that determines the outcome.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:51:10 +0000

Why not throw out ALL cameras then – or TV’s, DVD players, iPods, PC’s (or MAC’s)or ANY electronic device that can POTENTIALLY be used for “evil”…

We can forget that it’s NOT the 1800’s anymore – and we can all start acting “Amish”!

It’s stories like this that help prove that Oprah is the Antichrist!

All she (or her minions…. err… Guests) has to do is say a few words – and major industries can suffer HUGE losses. Remember what happened when she bad-mouthed “Beef”???

Add to that her mindless followers – who will read ANYTHING she tells them to – and all signs point to the End of Days ;);););)