We read an article in the beginning of year called the "Undercover Parent" by Harlan Coben. We spent some time analyzing the article and deciding our views on spyware usage. Then we wrote our persuasive essays. Here's mine.
Spyware is Not to Be Used
Written by Harlan Coben, a persuasive essay titled the “Undercover Parent”(March 16, 2008) argues that parents using spyware is a healthy way to monitor children. Coben starts his article by telling us how he found out about spyware; from his friends telling him they used it to monitor their son, and how he was surprised by it at first. Then he did his research and began to agree that spyware should be used. His purpose is to persuade parents to use this software. His audience is a group of parents that he can relate to. Spyware should not be used to monitor children because it can cause trust issues, it is an invasion of privacy, and there are other ways to monitor children.
One reason that parents should not use spyware is because it sends a message of a lack of trust. If the child in surveillance finds out, they may believe that their parents do not have any faith in them. Lori Day, the author of “Her Next Chapter,” has a strong opinion about this. She argues, “I think spying on kids is wrong. It’s a good way of sabotaging your relationship with your child if you get caught.” Of course there is the chance that they will never find out, but they have a way of collecting information.
The next reason that spyware should not be put into play is that it is an invasion of privacy, particularly in conversations. Friends may be entrusting their friends with private thoughts. These are things that parents don’t really need to know, for example who your daughter’s best friend likes. Children, especially teens, should at least have a small part of their life that is private, or only shared with their close friends.
Lastly, there are much better ways to monitor your child. Random checks on phones and computers is one example. Most phones have restrictions that block the chosen keywords or websites but do not allow parents to see the activity. One more way is to ask teens for their social media passwords, so that parents can sign in and check who they are following, what they have looked at, etc. Spyware does not need to come into use.
Lots of people will have excuses and arguments that spyware is a wonderful thing to use. Some will say that it will not cause a lack of trust if you use spyware as long as parents hint that it is there every once in awhile. But most kids will probably think it is just a threat that they will use it. Some will say that if kids have nothing to hide, why would it be an invasion of privacy. And that can be a good point, until you start looking into private conversations. And lastly, some people will say that if parents use blocks instead of spyware, there will always be a way around them. If the restrictions are actually built into the phone, there is no way around.
This is why spyware should not be put into play; it causes a lack of trust, it invades the privacy of personal discussions, and there are much better ways to monitor children. Spyware should only be used in an extreme case where the parent has huge reasons to believe that their child is having serious issues on the internet. But otherwise, it will only cause problems. So take my advice, and get rid of that surveillance technology right now.
Spyware is Not to Be Used
Written by Harlan Coben, a persuasive essay titled the “Undercover Parent”(March 16, 2008) argues that parents using spyware is a healthy way to monitor children. Coben starts his article by telling us how he found out about spyware; from his friends telling him they used it to monitor their son, and how he was surprised by it at first. Then he did his research and began to agree that spyware should be used. His purpose is to persuade parents to use this software. His audience is a group of parents that he can relate to. Spyware should not be used to monitor children because it can cause trust issues, it is an invasion of privacy, and there are other ways to monitor children.
One reason that parents should not use spyware is because it sends a message of a lack of trust. If the child in surveillance finds out, they may believe that their parents do not have any faith in them. Lori Day, the author of “Her Next Chapter,” has a strong opinion about this. She argues, “I think spying on kids is wrong. It’s a good way of sabotaging your relationship with your child if you get caught.” Of course there is the chance that they will never find out, but they have a way of collecting information.
The next reason that spyware should not be put into play is that it is an invasion of privacy, particularly in conversations. Friends may be entrusting their friends with private thoughts. These are things that parents don’t really need to know, for example who your daughter’s best friend likes. Children, especially teens, should at least have a small part of their life that is private, or only shared with their close friends.
Lastly, there are much better ways to monitor your child. Random checks on phones and computers is one example. Most phones have restrictions that block the chosen keywords or websites but do not allow parents to see the activity. One more way is to ask teens for their social media passwords, so that parents can sign in and check who they are following, what they have looked at, etc. Spyware does not need to come into use.
Lots of people will have excuses and arguments that spyware is a wonderful thing to use. Some will say that it will not cause a lack of trust if you use spyware as long as parents hint that it is there every once in awhile. But most kids will probably think it is just a threat that they will use it. Some will say that if kids have nothing to hide, why would it be an invasion of privacy. And that can be a good point, until you start looking into private conversations. And lastly, some people will say that if parents use blocks instead of spyware, there will always be a way around them. If the restrictions are actually built into the phone, there is no way around.
This is why spyware should not be put into play; it causes a lack of trust, it invades the privacy of personal discussions, and there are much better ways to monitor children. Spyware should only be used in an extreme case where the parent has huge reasons to believe that their child is having serious issues on the internet. But otherwise, it will only cause problems. So take my advice, and get rid of that surveillance technology right now.