KEY POINTS:
Feeling bad about the quality time you're not spending with your child? Guilt-wracked working parents can now watch their offspring's every move with the click of a mouse.
In a move that's more Little Brother than Big, an Auckland company is connecting parents and their wee darlings through virtual visits to specially wired daycare centres.
The technology was developed by TinyTV, a company set up by former career high-flyer and "guilty mum" Sarah Cotterall, her husband Matthew and friends Simon and Jeanette Bocking, who are also parents.
Cotterall hit on the idea after the birth of her daughter Ella, now 2 1/2. Like many other working mothers, Cotterall felt guilty at having to place Ella in care. "We were discussing it and just thought 'wouldn't it be great if you could actually see your child during the day, keep up to date with their development, and not miss out on all those key milestones'."
The system is similar to those used by banks and shopping malls. Cameras broadcast pictures to a secure website so parents can interact with their children from their workplace.
Safety was a high priority, Cotterall said, as reports surfaced that a sting by the Press in Christchurch had caught several paedophiles using similar technology to engage local teenagers in cyber-sex.
Parents received a unique password which had to be changed fortnightly, and could access the service only when their children were at the centre. Centres could choose when and how many hours the cameras operated.
The company had also spent a "significant" amount on legal advice to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act.
Future plans include streaming to mobile phones.
The first daycare to hook in to TinyTV's webcam service, Central Park, opens in Henderson in August.
