Survey highlights ‘surveillance anxiety’ among younger generations, who are also more likely to change their behaviour when being filmed
Younger adults in the UK are significantly more uncomfortable with the use of body-worn cameras by frontline workers than their older counterparts, a new study has revealed. The research, conducted by the body-worn camera company HALOS, suggests a growing sense of “surveillance anxiety” among those who have grown up in a digitally connected world.
According to a YouGov survey of more than 2,200 Britons, nearly a third (29%) of 18-to-24-year-olds and over a quarter (26%) of those aged 25 to 34 expressed discomfort with frontline staff, such as security guards or shop workers, wearing cameras. This stands in stark contrast to the views of older age groups, with only 17% of those aged 55 and over reporting the same unease.
The study also identified a paradox in the findings: the same younger generations who are most uneasy about being filmed are also the most likely to alter their behaviour when they know a camera is present. More than two-thirds (65%) of 18-to-24-year-olds and over half (55%) of 25-to-34-year-olds said they would “think twice about their actions” under surveillance. This figure dropped sharply to just 33% among those aged 55 and over.
The CEO of HALOS, Alan Ring, suggested that this heightened awareness of being perceived, both online and offline, is shaping a new social contract in public spaces. The findings indicate that body-worn cameras are not only tools for deterrence and evidence collection but are also actively influencing social norms and behaviour.
Ring stated that businesses must recognise this as a cultural shift, not merely a technological one, as they navigate the growing public debate around privacy and surveillance.
