OK for Parents to Spy on their Child's Cell Phone?

A question that many parents are facing as they are raising their child who has a cell phone is if it is moral or questionable to be tracking their child’s cell phone without them knowing. Some parents elect to track their teen’s cell phone and make them aware that they are monitoring their activity on the phone. Others, who are thinking that the best route will be covertly monitoring the phone, are wondering whether it’s okay to track their child’s cell phone without them being aware.

This is a tough question that many people have tried to answer. A recent federal court ruled that it was lawful for law enforcement to monitor a cell phone locator gps without probable cause for doing so. Even TIME Magazine has weighed in on the issue, discussing in 2012 whether it was okay for parents to be monitoring their children’s smartphones. The article by TIME noted that, by this year, there would be 70 million using these types of programs to track their kids.

That may sound like an astonishing number, but there are millions of people using these types of programs to track their family members. There are several questions to be asking about tracking a kids’ cell phone. The first is whether it’s morally wrong. Most will agree that because children are minors and because their parents are responsible for them, the parents do have the right to be tracking their children.

The more difficult question to answer is what kind of message it sends the kids. Does it show that the parents don’t trust their kids? While some may have difficulty with this question, there are several big counterarguments to this question. Mobile spyware without target phone.

Why parents can have a clear conscience

Some parents are concerned about the message they are sending their children. They are concerned that their children won’t feel trusted, and that this will make them want to rebel even more. While that is a valid point, it is not going to be the end of all parents tracking their children, and for good reason. 

Some children need to be monitored

Especially as they get into their teenage years, parents will notice that some children simply need to be watched more closely than others. Some may just have a knack for getting into trouble. It doesn’t mean that they are bad kids, but they may need more guidance as they are growing up than others would. It’s important for a parent to be able to watch these kids closely, or a rebellious attitude may lead to drug abuse as they get into their high school years. It’s the responsibility of the parent to use all the available tools to be able to watch over their family.

Matters of life and death

That brings us to another big point that parents are running into. As their children are growing up and becoming teenagers, some of their friends may begin drinking. It’s important for them to be able to monitor their family members closely because of the dangers that are out there. Cell phone spy without access to target phone.

Without the right tools in place, it’s going to be difficult for a parent to know whether their kids are beginning to drink alcohol or participate in other activities that are inappropriate for minors. These activities can lead to young people getting hurt, so in cases where it’s a matter of safety, it’s vital that a parent is able to monitor the activity of their child.

Tracking a young person is not being overbearing. It’s being caring. Parents that care about their child’s safety should consider their options and weigh whether they need to start monitoring their child’s cell phone.