Boy Finds Hidden Camera in Room’s Smoke Detector at Stepmom’s House

A boy was sitting in his room when he saw a screw fall from the ceiling. He looked up and noticed a tiny lens popping from the screw opening in the smoke detector.

Upon taking a closer look, he noticed the smoke detector was hollow. He couldn't see any electronic circuitry inside. All he could see was a tiny hidden camera.

The 16-year-old boy checked other rooms of the house to see if they also had a similar smoke detector. To his surprise, only his room had it.

Without revealing his identity, the boy opened up on the "relationship_advice" forum on Reddit, explaining how he discovered the hidden camera and what happened afterward.

Before jumping to the main story, he shared about his family. His parents had separated seven years ago, and he lived with his mother during the initial years after they parted ways.

Four years later, his mother fell sick, so he had to move in with his father. The doctors said that his mother needed someone to look after her, so they shifted her to a care facility.

Since the boy had no other option, he had to live with his father and stepmother. His father moved into his stepmother's house four years after dating her.

He was horrified when he realized that the strange object was a camera lens.

He shared that his father and stepmother weren't married because his parents never got divorced. His father had been dating his stepmother for the past five years.

One day, he was sitting on his bed when he noticed something fall from the ceiling. He got up to see what it was and found a screw lying on the floor.

He realized it had fallen from the smoke detector above him. Then he noticed a strange circular object popping from the device.

The boy stood on his bed and closely inspected the smoke detector. He was horrified when he realized that the strange object was a camera lens. Someone had placed a hidden camera in his room.

He felt weird thinking about everything that the camera might have recorded. Someone had placed it on the smoke detector to cover most of his room.

Curious, he went inside other rooms to see if they had similar smoke detectors. None of them had the same device that was installed in his room.

"I remember my stepmom had put this up one day when I was at school, I think when I was 14," he recalled. But he wondered why his stepmother would install a camera in his room.

The boy thought it strange because he didn't have a bad relationship with his stepmother. She didn't dislike him, and neither did he.

The only reason he could think of was that his stepmother wanted to spy on him. However, he couldn't understand why because he was a well-behaved child who didn't trouble his parents.

Confused, he posted his story on Reddit to ask other people if they could help him figure out why his stepmother had installed a camera in his room.

"I believe that's considered illegal to place hidden cameras in bedrooms," Redditor itzMeHK stated.

Meanwhile, Redditor justmork wrote, "I don't normally say 'go to the police,' but I think that's good advice." The user believed his stepmother had crossed all limits, and his father wouldn't take his side.

Another user suggested clicking photos of the camera and showing them to the police, discouraging the boy from talking to his father yet because he might try to explain the woman's actions instead of reporting it to the police.

"It's a crime to film someone in a room where they have the expectation of privacy, and you are a minor," the Redditor added.

After reading the comments, the boy edited his post, saying he felt weird thinking about the footage because the camera might have recorded him while changing clothes.

He also decided to heed suggestions not to bring it up with his father. He planned to discuss it with his school's counselor first to see if they could help him out.

Some people had also suggested he record audio and videos of the camera as proof in case someone removed it. He said he would keep the evidence with him.

Meanwhile, many users asked him if he had a bad relationship with his stepmother. The boy said his stepmother didn't like it when he visited his mother. Otherwise, their relationship was OK.

Most Redditors were concerned for the boy's safety since someone was watching him through the camera. They insisted he report it to the police soon.

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think the boy should talk to his stepmother first?

Since the boy believed his stepmother had installed the smoke detector in his room, it would be better if he went to her first with evidence. She might explain why she had placed the hidden camera in his room, and they could resolve the issue without creating a fuss with the police. Going to his father first might trigger an argument between his stepmother and stepfather, so going to his stepmother may be another option. What do you think?

Do you think the boy's stepmother installed the camera to keep an eye on him?

It's possible the boy's stepmother installed the camera to keep track of his activities but it also doesn't change the fact that it wasn't right because she breached his privacy. However, without any confirmation, it's still anybody's guess if she really installed the camera there and for what reason. What are your thoughts on this?

If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a man who found a hidden camera in his bathroom four years after he bought the house from an old lady.

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