Security cameras have existed since 1969 – originally a system featuring four peepholes, a monitor, a sliding surveillance camera, and two-way audio functionality. This singular camera has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon of constant surveillance in public and most times even in private atmospheres. This constant surveillance has led to a detrimental change in how many adolescents experience their teenage years by limiting and discouraging them from experiencing new things and creating new memories.
“I think it’s because everything is being recorded… people just take out the camera and just start recording, it discourages … because you don’t want some things in the public,” junior Anthony Cristofaro said.
Not only does public surveillance cause constant worry and exposure regarding the ability to fully express themselves, but phones, portable cameras, and social media amplify this anxiety to be ‘perfect’ in order to avoid being humiliated online through unwanted exposure.
“Sometimes – I worry about, like, what’s being recorded posted… and you don’t even know about it… like people take pictures of you and post it,” Cristofaro said.
This directly impacts the way adolescents act and also affects their decision-making; further preventing teenagers from feeling free to test things out or experiment and rebel such as going out to parties and staying out later in the same capacity older generations were able to.
“It makes you think twice, it makes you think about your actions before you do them, which I know you’re supposed to do anyway, but like it really makes you think ‘should I really be doing this?’ or it makes you overthink the outcome,” senior Isaac Infranca said.
Though benefits such as being more rational, well-thought-out, and purposeful in actions can emerge, this sacrifices the ability to be expressive, have fun, and make meaningful memories without the worry of being recorded.
“I feel like I have to be perfect, but honestly, I don’t really think about it until I’m going to do something stupid like maybe I should think if this is going to end up on the Internet somewhere… but you don’t really think about it until you know your about to do something to that outcome,” Infranca said.
The “good old days” and teenage years many adults speak of don’t exist anymore. These same adults feel as though – due to this adaptation to media-based surveillance – the current generation of teens have become more sly, wary, and over-exposed to heavy topics; propelling the findings of loopholes around these roadblocks and in return having the ability to dabble into more hazardous places and rebelling activities.
“There’s so much surveillance that I do feel that people think a little bit more and are more aware of whatever actions they’re going to take, but I also feel that they’ve become sneakier. I didn’t have those ideas because it was only a fear of my parents. I feel like we were more protected, and then, like, now, children just know more because the internet is so big; there’s so many bad influences,” math teacher Carolina Gonzalez-Boix said.
The Internet has been a large exploiting factor in the overexposing of adult-heavy topics to kids over the evolving years of its existence. This constant exposure not only allows a fear of becoming a victim of this constant surveillance but also the sprouting of new experimental ideas that would have never been thought of in the first place.
“I think it changes what it means to be a kid because they aren’t gonna be as active anymore… not going to want to do stuff because they know everybody is watching. It definitely changes how kids think and what it means to be a kid,” Infranca said.
This constant surveillance has caused detrimental changes in not only the way some teenagers express themselves but also in how they act and perceive themselves along with becoming sneakier in rebuttal. Allowing this constant fear and obstacle to stop the creation of cherished moments is to allow others to control one’s life. Instead, consciously choosing and debating whether they will allow the fear of constant surveillance to affect them is crucial in taking the power back.
