Spyware Essay
Isabella Madison
Ms.Arcangelo
English 1st period
September 27, 2015
Spy Kids: to Spy or not to Spy
A newspaper article called “The Undercover Parent” written by Harlen Coben (on March 16, 2008) argues that using spyware on your child’s device (ie. computer, phone, etc.) is what all parents should do. The author gives examples of when using spyware had a successful outcome, gives counter-arguments, and tells the audience why using spyware is not a bad or negative thing. The author’s apparent purpose is to persuade parents to use spyware in order to protect their child from the dangers of the internet. The intended audience is parents as he appears to be one himself. Parents should not use spyware on their child’s device because it does not work well, children deserve freedom, and it breaks the trust between the parent and child.
Spyware does not work well. First of all, kids could use a friend’s device to go on a website that their parents wouldn’t approve of. Also they could use public wifi where their information isn’t recorded (makeuseof.com). a child could also use a device that doesn’t have spyware on it. Parents may argue that they could make sure to put spyware on all their child’s devices and encourage their child’s friend’s parents to use spyware, but kids will always find a way around it by using devices that don’t have spyware on them.
Another reason why parents shouldn’t use spyware is because children need their freedom. They need to see for themselves what is out there; good and bad. If they do something bad on their device, like go on an inappropriate website, then they can learn from their mistakes (Let Kids Run Wild Online). Also it can be considered an invasion of privacy for parents to spy on their child’s device. Some parents would counter that their child is not ready for the full responsibility of using the internet, but if parents are going to give their child the privilege of using that device then they should trust them with it. If parents don’t think they could trust their child then they shouldn’t let them use the device.
The use of spyware can break the trust between the parent and child. If a child found out that their parents were using spyware on their devices they might feel like their parents don’t trust them enough to use the internet responsibly ( They might distrust their parents as well. They may feel betrayed too. Some may argue that children could be fine with their parents using spyware, but that is not always the case, and/or the child could be hiding how they really feel about spyware.
In conclusion, parents should refrain from using spyware because it doesn’t work well, children deserve freedom, and it could break the trust between the parent and child. There are other ways for parents to protect child from the dangers of the internet. Parents could talk to them about what is right and wrong on the internet. Parents could also block sites that they feel their child should not view. Parents should think of alternate ways of protecting their child without using spyware.
Ms.Arcangelo
English 1st period
September 27, 2015
Spy Kids: to Spy or not to Spy
A newspaper article called “The Undercover Parent” written by Harlen Coben (on March 16, 2008) argues that using spyware on your child’s device (ie. computer, phone, etc.) is what all parents should do. The author gives examples of when using spyware had a successful outcome, gives counter-arguments, and tells the audience why using spyware is not a bad or negative thing. The author’s apparent purpose is to persuade parents to use spyware in order to protect their child from the dangers of the internet. The intended audience is parents as he appears to be one himself. Parents should not use spyware on their child’s device because it does not work well, children deserve freedom, and it breaks the trust between the parent and child.
Spyware does not work well. First of all, kids could use a friend’s device to go on a website that their parents wouldn’t approve of. Also they could use public wifi where their information isn’t recorded (makeuseof.com). a child could also use a device that doesn’t have spyware on it. Parents may argue that they could make sure to put spyware on all their child’s devices and encourage their child’s friend’s parents to use spyware, but kids will always find a way around it by using devices that don’t have spyware on them.
Another reason why parents shouldn’t use spyware is because children need their freedom. They need to see for themselves what is out there; good and bad. If they do something bad on their device, like go on an inappropriate website, then they can learn from their mistakes (Let Kids Run Wild Online). Also it can be considered an invasion of privacy for parents to spy on their child’s device. Some parents would counter that their child is not ready for the full responsibility of using the internet, but if parents are going to give their child the privilege of using that device then they should trust them with it. If parents don’t think they could trust their child then they shouldn’t let them use the device.
The use of spyware can break the trust between the parent and child. If a child found out that their parents were using spyware on their devices they might feel like their parents don’t trust them enough to use the internet responsibly ( They might distrust their parents as well. They may feel betrayed too. Some may argue that children could be fine with their parents using spyware, but that is not always the case, and/or the child could be hiding how they really feel about spyware.
In conclusion, parents should refrain from using spyware because it doesn’t work well, children deserve freedom, and it could break the trust between the parent and child. There are other ways for parents to protect child from the dangers of the internet. Parents could talk to them about what is right and wrong on the internet. Parents could also block sites that they feel their child should not view. Parents should think of alternate ways of protecting their child without using spyware.