Need Sensationalist Filler? Watch Fox News!

Must be another slow news day.

According to Fox news, webcams are the new technological devil. As the overly dramatic voice over says:

“An inexpensive camera and a cable is all dangerous predators need to get into your child’s bedroom. These webcams are a pedophiles dream!”

For fuck’s sake give me a break. Right now, hundreds of misinformed parents are tearing the computers out of their kids rooms, because according to the news, a webcam is some sort of satanic direct conduit between sexual predators and their kids.

What’s next? Buying a webcam is like writing “Rape me” on a kids shirt and dropping them in cracktown at 3am?

On tomorrows news:

“Did you know that by pushing a few buttons on the TV remote, your child can see boobies? More at twelve!”

“Food shown to give sexual predators the energy they need to rape your 3 month old daughter. Concerned citizens call for ban!”

“Telephones, mail and speech used to plan the 9/11 terror attacks. Did you know you have these ‘terror tools’ in your very own home?”

Seriously, it’s like they need filler, so they pick some innocuous piece of technology, and make it sound like it’s evil. There are parents out there now who are concerned that pedophiles can somehow remotely turn on any webcam on the planet and somehow use that connection to force children to perform pornographic acts.

Here’s the thing…any communications technology can bring your kids into contact with people who might want to harm them. Whether it’s the phone, the internet, or simply walking into a public park.

The truth is, that “news” report should have been more along the lines of:

“Look, there are dangerous people out there, so what you need to do is pay attention to your kids, get more involved and keep an eye on what they’re doing. Know who their friends are, who they like to hang around with and try and keep track of where they are, who they’re with and what they’re doing.”

Of course, that isn’t as sensational as trying to make out that a webcam is a “pedophile’s remote eye”.

I mean, god forbid you actually parent your kids. Whaddaya mean, I can’t drop my kids in front of a TV or computer and completely ignore them? You mean my kids might require some sort of parental supervision to stop them doing something dangerous or stupid? Since when?

So you can either rip out the TV, computer, telephone keep your kids locked in their room to keep them safe from the evil predators that flood the streets…or you can occasionally pop your head around the door and say “What are you watching/talking to/doing?”