Undercover Parent
Caraveo 1
Elena Caraveo
Mrs.KVA
14 September 2013
Undercover Parent Unit Essay Have you ever wondered if your child’s safety could be endangered on the Internet? Or how about what websites they could be going onto and if they are talking to strangers? These are some topics that Harlen Coben discusses in his article entitled “Undercover Parent”. He suggests that parents should put spyware on their child’s computers, or other electronic devices, to monitor their Internet usage, activity, and safety. Now some may say that this is an invasion of privacy, but others disagree and say that it will benefit your child. Throughout the article, Coben presents information about the pros and cons of spyware. In my opinion, I both agree and disagree with Coben’s argument on spyware. First, the reason as to why I agree with Coben is that your child’s safety could be endangered on the Internet. In some cases, it can lead to fatal outcomes. If a parent were to put spyware on their child’s computer, then they can see if their child is talking to strangers, giving out personal information, or if they are being cyber bullied. This way, if these incidents were to occur, the
Caraveo 2 parent can take action, and put a stop to it. Most people have heard of the stories of children who were being cyber bullied on the Internet. In some cases, if the child is being cyber bulled to an excruciating point, then they might commit suicide. Studies show that the main reason why kids will take their life when being bullied, is to stop the pain. One of the most recent stories is of a young girl at age 12 who committed suicide. Her name was Rebecca Anna Sedwick, and she lived in Florida. 15 middle-school kids were bullying her for months, and were urging her to kill herself. Before the incident had happened she went onto her Kik account and changed her username to “That Dead Girl”. Then she sent out messages to her friends saying “goodbye forever.” Once she had sent out the messages, Rebecca
Elena Caraveo
Mrs.KVA
14 September 2013
Undercover Parent Unit Essay Have you ever wondered if your child’s safety could be endangered on the Internet? Or how about what websites they could be going onto and if they are talking to strangers? These are some topics that Harlen Coben discusses in his article entitled “Undercover Parent”. He suggests that parents should put spyware on their child’s computers, or other electronic devices, to monitor their Internet usage, activity, and safety. Now some may say that this is an invasion of privacy, but others disagree and say that it will benefit your child. Throughout the article, Coben presents information about the pros and cons of spyware. In my opinion, I both agree and disagree with Coben’s argument on spyware. First, the reason as to why I agree with Coben is that your child’s safety could be endangered on the Internet. In some cases, it can lead to fatal outcomes. If a parent were to put spyware on their child’s computer, then they can see if their child is talking to strangers, giving out personal information, or if they are being cyber bullied. This way, if these incidents were to occur, the
Caraveo 2 parent can take action, and put a stop to it. Most people have heard of the stories of children who were being cyber bullied on the Internet. In some cases, if the child is being cyber bulled to an excruciating point, then they might commit suicide. Studies show that the main reason why kids will take their life when being bullied, is to stop the pain. One of the most recent stories is of a young girl at age 12 who committed suicide. Her name was Rebecca Anna Sedwick, and she lived in Florida. 15 middle-school kids were bullying her for months, and were urging her to kill herself. Before the incident had happened she went onto her Kik account and changed her username to “That Dead Girl”. Then she sent out messages to her friends saying “goodbye forever.” Once she had sent out the messages, Rebecca