Exclusive | Modern families, modern risks – Pushkar Gokhale of Godrej group on rethinking home security for children

In an exclusive feature for MediaBrief, commemorating Children’s Day 2025, Pushkar Gokhale, Business Head – Security Solutions Business, Godrej Enterprises Group, explores why home security matters differently for today’s children, how the shift to nuclear and dual-working families has altered everyday safety, and what risks young children navigate when unsupervised. Gokhale also highlights how technology can offer parents reassurance, why safety conversations at home are essential, and how thoughtful security systems can help children grow with confidence and freedom.

More children are coming home to empty houses than ever before. Nuclear families, dual-working parents, and the realities of urban living mean that kids are spending hours alone, managing homework, waiting for caregivers, or simply being independent earlier than previous generations. This shift brings a question every parent is seriously concerned- How do we keep Our Children safe when we are away from Home?

Why does home security matter differently today?

There is significant transformation within the structure of the Family. Gone are days when extended families lived under one roof, neighbours knew everyone’s children, the watchful eyes of a joint household. The layers of protection have thinned. Today’s children navigate a different landscape. They interact with delivery agents at the door, manage smart devices on their own, and spend time in homes where security often depends on a single lock or the assumption that a gated community equals safety.

The risks are both physical and digital. An unlocked window, a stranger at the door, and the illusion that familiarity equals security creates vulnerability. When children are involved, home security is beyond just protecting valuables or property, but one needs to prioritise protecting childhood itself.

How does technology support families

This is where thoughtful security solutions can make a real difference. Modern systems address the everyday anxieties parents carry.

Questions like Did my child get home safely? Is the caretaker there? Is everything okay during those vulnerable hours between school and when I return?

Wi-fi Cameras let parents check-in during the day. Video door systems don’t just empower children to see who’s outside before opening the door, but the parents too get ring on their phones and can see the person at the doorstep and help control the access. They can warn the children of any danger. Motion sensors and alerts can notify parents quickly when something feels Off. Besides this Smart lockers keep valuables secure from those who are authorised to enter the homes.

These gadgets work best when they fit naturally into family life, when technology becomes an extension of care rather than a source of constant monitoring. The goal isn’t surveillance; it’s connection and peace of mind.

Inculcating everyday safety habits in Children

Technology alone isn’t the answer. Safety grows from habits and conversations woven into daily life.

Children thrive when given age-appropriate safety guidance – from not opening doors to strangers and responding to visitors through smart devices like video door phones, to knowing emergency contacts and recognizing everyday risks around balconies or electrical outlets. These aren’t lessons on fear but they’re lessons on awareness, helping them become active participants in their own security and safety.

Families that openly discuss home security are the ones who stay watchful of their loved ones in their absence, and treat safety as a shared responsibility, not just a parental duty. Such families can build true resilience. When security becomes part of the routine instead of fear or a reaction to fear and this can serve everyone effectively.

Creating true Safety for Children

The future of home security is in recognizing that protecting children isn’t about control. It’s about creating spaces where they can grow, explore, and simply be children, while parents carry a lighter mental pressure. Such are these Homes which are equipped with thoughtful security systems that are designed around real family needs.

This Children’s Day, the greatest gift we can offer is the Safety-net that allows childhood to unfold joyfully and fearlessly in the comfort of the quiet assurance that they are protected, even when we can’t be there in person.

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