The initiative has been driven by a public campaign sparked by the death of an infant at Fong Chong Nursery in Taipa in 2023
Cheong Mei Chi, deputy service director at the Women’s General Association of Macau, has backed plans to install CCTV cameras in nurseries, but underscored the need for clear safeguards to protect privacy. “Cameras are tools, but trained caregivers are the real key to child safety,” she said.
The remarks come in response to a new policy announced by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), which will mandate the installation of surveillance cameras in nurseries starting in the third quarter of 2025. The measure follows a four-month review and consultation with the Personal Data Protection Bureau (DSPDP).
The initiative has been driven by a public campaign sparked by the death of an infant at Fong Chong Nursery in Taipa in 2023. More than 8,000 people signed a petition calling for mandatory CCTV in nurseries to prevent future tragedies.
IAS president Wilson Hon said the bureau was confident that the scheme, with the right operational safeguards, would meet both parental expectations and legal privacy requirements. “With necessary operational adjustments, video surveillance could meet privacy requirements under Macau’s personal data protection laws as well as satisfy parental demands,” he said.
Approved under Permit No. 01/A/2025/DSPDP, the policy allows for surveillance only in public but sensitive areas such as sleeping and activity zones. Cameras are explicitly barred from private spaces, including bathrooms. The DSPDP stated that it would ensure “a lawful balance of competing interests” and enforce strict safeguards, including encryption, access controls, and audits.
Hon acknowledged the complexity of balancing privacy with safety and noted that total surveillance, including in bathrooms, would not be broadly acceptable. To address gaps where surveillance is not permitted, he said nurseries could improve staff deployment to ensure that children are always supervised by at least two caregivers.
