Posted on 07/10/2006 1:47:07 PM PDT by Ben Mugged
Paige White was surprised when her parents figured out soon after she started driving last year that she'd gone 9 miles to a party, not 4 miles to the friend's house she'd told them she was visiting. It seemed to her almost as if her car was bugged.
It was.
Paige's parents had installed a device in their daughter's SUV that can tell them not only how far she's driven, but how fast and whether she's made any sudden stops or hard turns.
"I was kind of mad because I felt it was an invasion of my privacy," said the Los Gatos resident, now 17.
Parents, some of whom feel outmatched by their offspring in this tech-savvy world, are using a growing number of gadgets, software and specially equipped cell phones to track kids' driving, read their instant messages and pinpoint where they're hanging out.
~snip~But cyber-snooping is simply a new tool, experts say. It doesn't resolve the dilemma parents have grappled with for generations: How much free rein do you give children so they can learn the lessons they need to grow up and be independent?
~snip~
Proponents of the new technology say it can help protect kids -- whether from predators lurking online or their own bad driving. But while there may be gains, monitoring also can take a toll.
"The bottom line is, surveillance will cut down somewhat on potential risk behavior kids will engage in, but it is at a cost," Wolf said. "To the extent that you do surveillance, you are potentially interfering with your kids developing responsibility for their own lives."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Yeah, I'm not sure that's a good case for revealing sources and methods. Next time, she'll drive to the friend's house and cop a ride the rest of the way. There is the risk of an arms race, where the kids learn how not to get caught rather than the intended lesson.
These new tools are just that -- new tools. They don't change the basic job, and while they might make the job easier, they also raise new questions and introduce new complications.
Can the "statism" argument because it doesn't fly. You want to argue something in the abstract when the facts of the case are, a 17 year old who lives with her parents lied about her wherabouts. As an underage person who is also a liar why is she entitled to freedoms?
If her parents are smart this young lady will not see a next time for quite a while. I don't care about whatever the kid might do to cheat, she got caught and needs to know that being a liar to one's parents is the one thing in life she can never do....
Good to know! My son is less than a year away from a (potential) driver's license. This summer, he's spending many hours working at his dad's auto shop for two things A) spending money and B)to fix up a beater his dad got him - oh make that three C) bonding time with dad. I hope he comes out of this with the same attitude you did. But, he does, after all, have adolescent testosterone surging through his veins, so I still pray. ;o)
I did own a 1967 Type III with Bosch fuel injection once. One time a pinhole opened in the fuel line. I smelled the gas and stopped. When I looked in the engine compartment there was a fine spray of fuel and a cloud of fuel vapor in the bay. One spark and the car would have gone up like a fuel air bomb. After being stranded several times (once stopped dead on I-15 near Searchight, Nevada) when the *^$$#& fuel injection packed it in I finally got rid of it.
Thx for reminding me.
Laziness? Stupidity? Overwork?
I was more responding to the teenager whining about her privacy, whilst (I suspect) being completely dependant on her parents for the ownership, maintenance, and operation of the car.
Nope. The analogy is terribly flawed. concerned parents are not equivalent to an omniscient, ever-present, faceless, unloving, oppressive, totalitarian government.
My Dad has a 1967 AH Sprite sports car. He was accutely aware of how much gas was in the tank but never payed attention to the milage. I would ask to take the car to a friends house about 4 miles away and since I had no money to buy gas, he felt safe that I would not go too far.
I would then go to the gas station in our small town and help the old guy close up shop. Recording numbers off the pumps, putting away the tire racks, mopping the garage floor. In return he would let me pump 3-4 gallons of gas.
I was gone for most of the night tearing up the back roads of Contra Costa County.
At least I was earning my own way to irresponsibility.
Yes, my wife and I are foolish people in expecting to raise honest children who are now in their late twenties, both college graduates, never ended up in jail and have excellent careers.
I say that in the long run these parents are doing their kids a disservice.<<<<<<<<<<
I disagree. Having parents who hold them accountable and check out their stories tells them their parents aren't their buddies, they are responsible people who aren't stupid. They will likely hate them until grown, but what else is new?
It also gives the kids an excuse when they are being pressured to do stupid things ("I'd race you in a minute, but the old man/old lady will find out, so I'll pass..")The kids who were allowed complete freedom who wanted to hang out with my kids soon learned I was their worst nightmare, and they learned not to be giving my kids anything illegal to hold onto for them because I'd find it and they'd all be in big trouble, my kids included. My own kids are responsible citizens as adults, so something worked right.
I sure do. Grounded for a month, and if she left without permission, she would not be allowed back in the house. If we caught her stealing, I'd call the police and have her put in jail.
Consider that this is a minor child who is legally the responsibility of her parents. She got caught lying about where she was so she could sneak off to a party. You'd have to be pretty gullible to think she would not be in the habit of going to parties whenever possible assuming she expected to get away with it.
If this story had a different headline, like "GIRL DIES IN DRUNK DRIVING ACCIDENT AFTER PARTY", there'd be people posting on the thread saying "If her parents had kept a closer eye on her and not let her take the car when and where ever she damn well pleased and kept track of where she was going to be, she'd be alive today."
Hear, Hear!
Bingo.
Because we live in a world of opportunity. There are many more hazards out there than there were when I was 16. My first car was lucky to reach 75 mph. Some of the second hand cars being provided to 16 year olds today will easily reach 150. People knew each other back then as well. My Dad would hear from his lodge buddies that I was speeding and I would lose my car for a couple of months. Today, our children are a tree in the Forest. I would use every available tool to give me the advantages that could help me shape the character of my children.
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