Is surveillance of kids good, effective parenting?
In today’s time, a parent can have a huge monitoring system to keep tabs on their children. Technology has made many advancements in the world of surveillance, so good that parents can use gadgets to monitor their child from the time they are an infant to close to early adulthood. Many parents believe that using equipment to watch their kids is a perfect way to raise them. But there are also parents who think they should not stay in their kids business all the time and let them learn through their own decision making. It’s obvious that family life has changed because of such things like the Internet,Xbox, and cell phones. One issue that has been brought up now in our present time, is if using technology to monitor children is an effective way of parenting. One reason why parents use monitoring gadgets is because they are affordable at a cheap price, available at most stores, and easy to use in most cases.It’s time for parents to use technology in a fashionable way to monitor their children so they can function well in their lives.
Since there has been rapid advances in technology these past few years, individuals now can use surveillance tools that were once only available to the government and law enforcement. Video cameras and GPS tracking devices have been added on to smart phones. Parents can now connect their computers to WiFi and through a webcam watch over their property and their loved ones while away from home. The gadgets you read about in spy novels have now become a reality and parents can pick them up at a store at a local mall.
Many parents have the “helicopter parent” trait, which means they watch over their kids constantly. This is where a parent like this would see surveillance technology beneficial to the challenge of raising their kid. Most parents are super busy and work long hour jobs each week and they feel like it is helpful to monitor their kids since they can’t see them in person all the time. A young mother may listen to her baby monitor or look to see if the baby is in crib through her web camera that’s set up. Or in a teenager’s case, a parent may stick a GPS tracking device on the teenager’s car to see where he is going that night. Other parents feel like this is not a positive way to raise kids, because these parents have a “free range parenting” style where they let their children learn from their mistakes and be independent.
State Sen. Eric Adams states, “You have the duty and obligation to protect the members of your household.” Some government officials believe that children don’t technically have constitutional rights and that parents should constantly search their kids for contraband. They think there are just too many uncertainties involving the Internet and other things in life that can alter a child’s growth and healthy lifestyle choices. Many parents are fearful and are scared by child abduction and the dangers lurking in cyberspace. In most cases, parents will buy into the multi-million dollar industry that creates tools to monitor kids.
(http://www.carolynjabs.com/the_argument_for_surveillance_software_58462.htm) In some cases, using technology to monitor you children can create drama and bad tension. Children can start to feel anger and possibly lose the ability to trust or feel that you as the parent, won’t ever trust them. Usually you would start to see this scenario in their teenage years where they could start to be more rebellious. Parents should allow their children to have free time to do what they want in their own privacy and let them go out on the weekends in an appropriate manner. It’s just not great for a kid to constantly be throwing tantrums because of a parent’s excessive monitoring.
I understand that parents want to monitor their children more than ever now. There are so many harmful things they can discover on the internet that could possibly alter their well-being. It would only make sense for a parent to save a young toddler from seeing something that could scar him or her for life. Let’s not forget that it’s wise to put a baby cam in the house while the nanny is taking care of your child. High rates of kidnapping young children have definitely raised a serious issue and made parents more aware. Yes, there will still be parents who let their kids experience life with a less of a strict attitude. This can work because it teaches the child how to be more independent and not to always rely on their parents. Either way, it will most likely continue to be a debate issue on whether parents should monitor their kids using surveillance tools. When it comes down to it, parents should try their best to find the perfect way to monitor their children in a fashion where the kid can function well socially and keep a healthy relationship with the parents and other significant people in their lives.
Resources:
1. (https://www.priv.gc.ca/information/research-recherche/2012/opc_201210_e.asp)
2.(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/fatherhood/11228246/Should-we-spy-on-our-children.html?mobile=basic)
3. (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/teen-ya/story/2011-09-05/Parental-dilemma-Whether-to-spy-on-their-kids/50262316/1)
4. (http://www.carolynjabs.com/the_argument_for_surveillance_software_58462.htm)