Ring Doorbell & Indoor Cam Safety Guide for Families
How to use Ring video doorbells and indoor cameras around children safely, including recording consent, the Neighbors app and UK considerations for audio recording.
Ring video doorbells and Ring indoor cameras record audio and video at the door, in hallways and inside the home. They are not aimed at children but children appear on the footage every day, and many households put a Ring camera in a child's playroom or bedroom. UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the ICO's CCTV in the home guidance set out what is reasonable when recording family, visitors and neighbours, and the Online Safety Act 2023 underpins how the linked Neighbors app handles user-generated posts.
Main risks
- • Ring cameras being used inside a child's bedroom rather than in shared rooms
- • Footage of visiting children being shared on the Neighbors app without their parents' knowledge
- • Audio recording continuing in private spaces where two-way conversation has a high expectation of privacy
- • Live View access being shared too widely or with people who no longer live in the home
Initial setup steps
Choose camera positions carefully
Place doorbells so they cover your own front door and path, not a neighbour's window or garden. Inside the home, keep cameras to shared rooms such as kitchens, hallways and playrooms — not bedrooms or bathrooms.
Set privacy zones and turn audio off where appropriate
In the Ring app, configure privacy zones to mask anything outside your property line. Switch audio recording off for shared corridors in flats and for any indoor camera that does not need it.
Lock down shared users and remove old accounts
Open Settings > Users and Permissions and remove anyone who no longer lives in the household, including ex-partners. Set two-factor authentication on the account.
Agree house rules for the Neighbors app
Agree as a family that footage of identifiable children — your own or visiting children — is not posted to Neighbors without the other parent's permission. If you witness a serious incident on camera, report it to 101 (or 999 if urgent) rather than posting it.
Parental control settings
Privacy Zones
Location: Ring app > Devices > [Camera] > Device Settings > Privacy Settings > Privacy Zones
Recommended: Mask any view into a neighbour's property or a child's private space
Lets you blank out parts of the video so that bedrooms, bathrooms or a neighbour's window are never recorded.
Audio Recording
Location: Ring app > Device Settings > Privacy Settings > Audio Recording
Recommended: Off for doorbells in shared corridors or near a neighbour's door; off inside bedrooms
The ICO's CCTV in the home guidance treats audio recording of conversations outside your home as more intrusive than video and recommends turning it off where it is not necessary.
Shared Users
Location: Ring app > Settings > Users and Permissions
Recommended: Only current household members; remove ex-partners and former lodgers
Limits who can see Live View, watch recordings and control the cameras. Review the list whenever someone moves out.
Neighbors Posting
Location: Ring app > Neighbors
Recommended: Do not post footage of identifiable children without their parent's consent
The Online Safety Act 2023 and existing data-protection law treat children's faces as personal data. Posting clips of other people's children to Neighbors without permission can be unlawful and harmful.
Age recommendations
Cameras in shared rooms only. Never use a Ring camera as a long-term baby monitor in a bedroom — a dedicated baby monitor is more appropriate and is designed for the purpose.
Tell children where the cameras are and why. Avoid filming play that they find embarrassing later. Do not share clips on social media without their input.
Teenagers have a stronger right to privacy at home. Review whether indoor cameras still need to be on, and consider giving them control of any camera in shared spaces they use most.