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It's more that I cherish the trust my family shares that I see this as a real detriment.
Apps like this, at best...offer a false sence of security for the stalker while doing actually nothing for safety, encourage lying and sneaky behavior, they do teach kids/teens that they aren't trusted as the default and at worse are stalkerish and controlling and can even be abusive.
Moderator cut: orphaned response
Last edited by Miss Blue; 12-17-2014 at 02:57 PM..
Reason: quote and your responses have been deleted
Your grandparents likely didn't learn to drive on an automatic transmission either, are you going to make your kids learn stick in order to start using "common sense"? Technology is not a substitute for talking to kids, it is just something to use in addition to. I haven't seen anyone recommend using technology INSTEAD of talking to their children or spouse. These apps do exactly what all technology does, makes life easier.
I love technology...but it's not an excuse for distrust and stalking. Just because a technology exists doesn't mean it's a good technology for every application.
I see people relaying on apps instead of trusting their kids how to behave...I see kids getting around the controls because they already me know their parents don't trust them. That isn't making life easier in any way.
We put tracking on criminals....since when do our kids and spouses become the same as those have committed crimes simply because they are family?
I can't recall. ..but do any of those that stalk their families allow their phone to be tracked by their family? Is their family even interested? If it's such a 'safety' issue....why isn't someone tracking their every move?
How does the app encourage lying or sneaky behavior? Either the kids are where they said they would be, or they aren't. If they aren't, the app will make that apparent, so the what's the point of lying about it? If anything, it forces a discussion regarding teen behavior. For some parents, that may be an eye-opener.
It isn't a false sense of security. Trusting that your child may always be exactly where he/she claims to be certainly can be one.
I wonder how many parents insisting they could never be so intrusive have actually been through the teens years.
I posted up thread...kids will give their phone to a friend to hold or hide it in the location they are supposed to be at ( and go back to get it) and when at college they leave the phone in their room and tell their parents they are sleeping while they go out. Those are just the ways I know about.
I know one teen that refused to get a cell phone all together because her parents said it needed a tracking app if she had one. She was a good kid....but she chuffed under micromanaging. By pushing the issue the parents gave up the actual benefits of technology (easy contact...a way to call in a real emergency for example) for a sence of false security.
I wonder how many parents insisting they could never be so intrusive have actually been through the teens years.
Oh...and I have a college sophomore. ..been through the teen years and then some.
I was actually staying up right now waiting for a text that she arrived safely from her drive of a 120 miles to spend time with a friend during break. She told me she was going this afternoon (really she almost asked for approval though I obviously couldn't stop her from 5 states away)...texted when she left....and she texted she arrived 15 minutes ago. It didn't take an app for that level of respect and trust she's where she said. Sure...she may be somewhere completely different. ..but years of building trust and understanding tells me that if I asked for a picture of where she is and who she is with. ....she's where she said.
I posted up thread...kids will give their phone to a friend to hold or hide it in the location they are supposed to be at ( and go back to get it) and when at college they leave the phone in their room and tell their parents they are sleeping while they go out. Those are just the ways I know about.
I know one teen that refused to get a cell phone all together because her parents said it needed a tracking app if she had one. She was a good kid....but she chuffed under micromanaging. By pushing the issue the parents gave up the actual benefits of technology (easy contact...a way to call in a real emergency for example) for a sence of false security.
Well, those are the kids that I would want to keep on a tight rein, not bury my head in the sand and figure what I don't know can't hurt me ( or them).
I would not use an app like that on my college kids. At that point, they have either figured out places they don't belong, or are capable of suffering the consequences on their own.
For a young teen driver, I see the sense in using an app to keep track of their whereabouts without needing to call. My car, my call.
Well, those are the kids that I would want to keep on a tight rein, not bury my head in the sand and figure what I don't know can't hurt me ( or them).
I would not use an app like that on my college kids. At that point, they have either figured out places they don't belong, or are capable of suffering the consequences on their own.
For a young teen driver, I see the sense in using an app to keep track of their whereabouts without needing to call. My car, my call.
Those kids were created by their parents....they learned early they were guilty before they even did anything. Even the innocent are going to chaff under that. The ones I personally knew weren't bad kids...they just needed a bit of space they never had.
The alternative to not using invasive tech is not ignoring issues and concerns....quite the opposite. To suggest it is to raise a false dichotomy.
The parents that are prone to stalk their kids don't stop just because they are in college. There was a story of a father that knew his daughters schedule and what campus web cams she crossed and when. She'd would get irate phone calls from him if she took a different route. Same difference with misuse of technology. This parent didn't trust her to go to class. ..even though she didn't have a history of skipping and simply walked a different way with a friend.
If you are paying for a car and want to lo-jack it...go ahead...your property. I hope that you (and i am speaking in general here) dont mind if the rest of the family looks to see where youve been and question why you went a mile orv two out of your way. However if your teen buys their own....there is no right to do so.
If a teen is truly trustworthy and the app is used in a way several posters have indicated, such as emergencies or not wanting to call or text while the kid is driving, I don't see what the big deal is. The only kid that would have a problem with an app like this used in that manner are the ones with something to hide.
If a teen is truly trustworthy and the app is used in a way several posters have indicated, such as emergencies or not wanting to call or text while the kid is driving, I don't see what the big deal is. The only kid that would have a problem with an app like this used in that manner are the ones with something to hide.
Tell me....do you want someone questioning your every move? No...it's not just the teens that have something to hide that get upset at being treated like a criminal though they've done nothing wrong...it's mostly the good kids that can't figure out why their parents don't trust them when they've done nothing wrong.
Tell me.....would you have...either when you were a teen or now. ...like to be presumed to being untrustworthy simply bexcuse you breathe? Do you want your spouse or boss to know every step you took during the day....evan if you are doing nothing wrong?
Tell me....do you want someone questioning your every move? No...it's not just the teens that have something to hide that get upset at being treated like a criminal though they've done nothing wrong...it's mostly the good kids that can't figure out why their parents don't trust them when they've done nothing wrong.
Tell me.....would you have...either when you were a teen or now. ...like to be presumed to being untrustworthy simply bexcuse you breathe? Do you want your spouse or boss to know every step you took during the day....evan if you are doing nothing wrong?
Did you even read what I wrote? Several people described using the app for emergencies or certain purposes. I see nothing wrong with that. No one has stated that they use the app to spy or because they don't trust their family. If I had a long commute or some other circumstance where my family needed to see how far away I was from home on occasion, why would I care unless I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be? Same holds true when I was a teen. Please indicate the post that states they question their child's every move, spy on them, or don't trust them...maybe I missed it. Seems to me that those families have a very good sense of trust if the parents only use the app for safety or convenience, and the child doesn't mind because they have nothing to hide.
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