The Undercover Parent
Spyware Should Not Be Needed
The argument Harlan Coben has presented in his article, “The Undercover Parent”, is that it is acceptable to equip your child’s computer with spyware. Coben gives several reasons as to why parents should install spyware on their child’s computer. One reason, that a child could “unknowingly be conversing with a pedophile.” However, I disagree with the writer's argument due to it being inconsistent and inaccurate. Parents should not install spyware on their child's computer because it will put a damper on communication within the household and challenge the trust between parents and child.
Parents make electronics so readily available to their children at a young age, mostly between the ages of three and twelve. …show more content…
There needs to be a level of trust that is developed between a child and their parents to receive honesty for a child in return. If a child does not feel like their parents trust them, they might feel the need to hide what they are doing, ruining the relationship between parents and their children. Many psychologists have found, however, that when parents know where their children are and what they are doing (and when the adolescent knows the parent knows, what psychologists call monitoring), adolescents are at a lower risk for a range of bad experiences, including drug, alcohol and tobacco use; sexual behavior and pregnancy; and delinquency and violence. The key, per psychologists, is to be inquisitive but not interfering, working to respect your child's privacy as you establish trust and closeness ("Communication- Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence.", 2003). A child should be able to talk to their parents and feel open to tell them who they are conversing with over the internet or if they are being bullied. Most children are afraid to tell their parents because of what the consequence may be whether it is having to delete an account or getting their computer privileges taken away all …show more content…
These children might get themselves into trouble or scenarios like the one Harlan Coben discussed in the article, “One friend of mine was using spyware to monitor his college-bound, straight-A daughter, found out that not only was she using drugs but she was sleeping with her dealer” he stated. Children who are not honest need to have their every move recorded with spyware. This is not meant to do anything other than keep a child safe from a parent’s worst
The argument Harlan Coben has presented in his article, “The Undercover Parent”, is that it is acceptable to equip your child’s computer with spyware. Coben gives several reasons as to why parents should install spyware on their child’s computer. One reason, that a child could “unknowingly be conversing with a pedophile.” However, I disagree with the writer's argument due to it being inconsistent and inaccurate. Parents should not install spyware on their child's computer because it will put a damper on communication within the household and challenge the trust between parents and child.
Parents make electronics so readily available to their children at a young age, mostly between the ages of three and twelve. …show more content…
There needs to be a level of trust that is developed between a child and their parents to receive honesty for a child in return. If a child does not feel like their parents trust them, they might feel the need to hide what they are doing, ruining the relationship between parents and their children. Many psychologists have found, however, that when parents know where their children are and what they are doing (and when the adolescent knows the parent knows, what psychologists call monitoring), adolescents are at a lower risk for a range of bad experiences, including drug, alcohol and tobacco use; sexual behavior and pregnancy; and delinquency and violence. The key, per psychologists, is to be inquisitive but not interfering, working to respect your child's privacy as you establish trust and closeness ("Communication- Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence.", 2003). A child should be able to talk to their parents and feel open to tell them who they are conversing with over the internet or if they are being bullied. Most children are afraid to tell their parents because of what the consequence may be whether it is having to delete an account or getting their computer privileges taken away all …show more content…
These children might get themselves into trouble or scenarios like the one Harlan Coben discussed in the article, “One friend of mine was using spyware to monitor his college-bound, straight-A daughter, found out that not only was she using drugs but she was sleeping with her dealer” he stated. Children who are not honest need to have their every move recorded with spyware. This is not meant to do anything other than keep a child safe from a parent’s worst