Would you do this to your kids?

by Euphemism 42 Replies latest social family

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  Euphemism

  A lot of cell phones now contain locator technology, either in the form of a GPS transceiver, or a system based on triangulating cell towers.

  Some parents are using this to track their teenager's location at all times.

  "Before, they might not have told me the truth, but now I know they're going to," said Mr. Lutz, 46, a lawyer who has been particularly protective of Britney and her sister, Chelsea, 17, since his wife died several years ago. "They know I care. And they know I'm watching."
  (from http://nytimes.com/2003/12/21/technology/21WATC.html )

  Would you do that?
• 

  Elsewhere

  If my parents did that when I was young, I would have turned my cell phone off.
• 

  JeffT

  Not without reason, and not with out telling them about it first. The conversation would sound like this: "I want to trust you but, the next time I find out you're not where you are telling me you are, your leash is going to be very, very short."
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  Narkissos

  I hope not. Lying is part of the game of language, and relationship. The ideal of absolute transparence is Big Brother's. Sounds more like hell to me.
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  Euphemism

  Same thought here, Narkissos. In fact, I thought about titling this "Big Father is Watching You."

  Like Jeff said, I could see an occasional use with a severe problem child. But otherwise, it would seem to me to send a clear message of mistrust to the kid.

  And Elsewhere... the article mentions one kid who would turn off his cell sometimes, when he wanted privacy. Another parent, however, bought his kids new cell phones on the condition that they wouldn't turn them off.
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  Elsewhere

  And Elsewhere... the article mentions one kid who would turn off his cell sometimes, when he wanted privacy. Another parent, however, bought his kids new cell phones on the condition that they wouldn't turn them off.

  Bottom line is this... whoever pays the bills has the control. I would dispose of the payed-for phone as soon as my income would allow.
  

  I haaaate having my privacy violated and I will go to great lengths to preserve it. I guess this is a side-effect of having parents who would search my room on a regular basis and would grill me at length if I could not account for all of my time when they could not watch me.

  People seem to have things backwards when it comes to privacy. They always say: "If you are not doing anything wrong, then you shouldn't mind being watched". That's a load of sht if you ask me! If I am not doing anything wrong, then I should have even MORE right to privacy. If I'm doing something someone might think of as wrong, but I'm not hurting anyone... then again... I should have every right to privacy. It is only when you start to hurt someone that you must be watched. And no, I don't wany anyone baby-sitting me to protect me from myself... especially not any government, religion, or my parents.
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  Special K

  Hmm? Euph?

  I have kids of an age that I could do this. But for my kids I would find it unnecessary. I trust them and have no reason to doubt that they will be where they say they are.

  That might change once they get their drivers license. I would like them to have a cell phone then ... just so I wouldn't worry so much as to whether he was okay or not. I could just call them or they could call me.

  Is this any different than parents having a chip planted just under the skin in their childrens arm.

  I remember reading how some parents had that done to their little daughters in England after two little girls around 9 and 10 were abducted and killed.

  In fact, that was in the paper again just recently because they have convicted the killer of the two girls.

  sincerely

  Special K
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  Yerusalyim

  I haaaate having my privacy violated

  There we go with that fallacious arguement that kids have some inherent right to privacy. BULLSH*T.

  Perhaps a certain missing college girl would be back home if her cell had this technology.
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  Frannie Banannie

  No, Euph....simply because it'd be an exercise in futility....short of implanting a microchip with a locator "tag" in their body at birth, there is NO WAY a teen won't find a way to outsmart a parent and do as they please.

  Frannie B
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  Euphemism

  There we go with that fallacious arguement that kids have some inherent right to privacy.

  Wow, Yeru, that's a pretty strong statement.

  What about privacy of thought? Do you feel that a parent is entitled to read a kid's diary, for example, in anything other than extreme circumstances?