Sunday - January 31, 2010

Council snoopers question five-year-olds on home life.  Big brother is watching you.

I really can’t think of anything to say here. Looks scary.

Council snoopers question five-year-olds on home life

By Sophie Borland

Children as young as five are being told to fill in Big Brother-style forms which let councils snoop on intimate details about their home lives.

The questions - which have been attacked as exploitative - ask about junk food, television habits, family time and even whether the youngsters ‘like themselves’.

Results are stored on a database, allowing families deemed to be ‘at risk’ to be referred to social services or doctors.

Children are asked to colour in answers to questions such as how much fruit they eat each day compared to crisps and fizzy drinks.

Hundreds of the ‘lifestyle’ quizzes, which are backed by the Department of Health, have been handed out in an attempt to build a picture of the health and wellbeing of individual households.

But privacy campaigners last night condemned the forms. Alex Deane, of Big Brother Watch, described it as ‘an unbelievable intrusion into private life’.

He said: ‘The state doesn’t bring up children, parents do. There is an important distinction between teaching and nannying - or even bullying - and this steps way over the mark.’

The lifestyle quizzes were piloted in Erewash, Derbyshire, where children filled in the forms at ‘healthy living’ after-school clubs, to which parents are invited.

Although the survey was not compulsory, pupils were strongly encouraged to fill it in.

HERE FOR MORE

Posted by peiper     on 01/31/2010 at 03:47 PM   
Filed Under: • Big Brother • Nanny State • UK •  
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