The market for home cameras in India is estimated to be worth Rs 300 crore. This statistic is remarkable and tells a story on the changing landscape of home security particularly where working parents and child care at home comes into play.
While coping with the hurdles of life to earn a better living for their children, parents often cannot help themselves being worry-free about their little ones at home. With people moving to metro cities for jobs, once they bear children, they often reach out to their own parents for support in raising their children. Over the course of the pandemic, there is change in this trend.
While older parents remain the most popular choice for people for staying connected with their children when they are out, people are also learning to depend on other aids such as technology and their neighbour.
In this context, Godrej Security Solutions, has published ‘Children’s Day’ edition of a study titled “Decoding Safe and Sound: in the Indian Context” in light of the widening gap between home security awareness and implementation.
Peoples’ dependence on tech gadgets helping them stay connected with their loved ones when they are away from home has nearly doubled from last year with 9% in 2021 to 17% in 2022. The study reveals that ‘Safe and Sound’ to Indians are based on three key contexts: Health wellbeing, property security and technology safety.
This year, Indians’ principle concern for their children or parents when they are away from home is evenly distributed with 51 % respondents citing ‘illness and injury’ and 49% respondents citing prevention of break-in or theft as their biggest worry.
Whereas, last year responses were highly dominated by health concerns with 81% respondents citing it as their principle concern, largely due to the wide-spread of covid-19. These findings indicate that India’s home safety concerns are rebalancing between property and health post Covid-19.
Pushkar Gokhale, Business Head at Godrej Security Solutions said, “Looking after a family and balancing it with the demands of an ultra-urban living can be a daunting task. It becomes heartbreakingly difficult to leave a toddler in the care of a family member, or a nanny and go to work. This means worrying constantly about their safety, and wondering if they are being well looked after.”
Similarly, people tend to worry about their property and possessions while being away from home. In short, the pandemic has made people realise the increased need for home surveillance not only to protect property but to watch over their loved ones from anywhere at any time.
The study highlights that compared to last year, people are learning to depend less on their house help and more on technology and security solutions, their neighbours for staying connected with their children when they are out. The major goal of this study was to highlight the importance of security, educate individuals about available options, and demonstrate how home security systems may result in a routine that is safer, more convenient, and flexible.
For staying connected with their children when people are away from home, the survey further revealed that, only 38% of the respondents depend on their own parents compared to 49% respondents last year. Whereas, only 15% of the respondents depend on their house help compared to 26% respondents last year. The survey also indicated more reliability on neighbours this year while being away from home, with 17% respondents depending on their neighbours, compared to only 9% respondents last year.
This study was commissioned by Godrej Security Solutions and was conducted in 7 Indian cities. The study’s key finding was that there is a critical need for phygital solutions. With people being away for work and their children at home, home cameras are a non-intrusive way of staying connected to them.
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