Parents turn to tech toys to track teens

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | July 9, 2006 | Janine DeFao

[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."

[Cobra64]

If you are under my roof then I get to know where you are. If you are driving my car I get to know where it is going and where it has been.

Well, you could try asking them where they were. A novel approach around here.

[Xenalyte]

We never tried the method, but that wouldn't work for him because his phone pictures have a time signature at the bottom of the screen.

That can be turned off.

[Xenalyte]

My parents got around that by sending me to their room.

[Secret Agent Man]

As you've written, it isn't necessary for parents to have an identical parenting style. Also, not every kid requires the same treatment either. Some kids will take all the rope you can give them, and some won't. I am sure on some things some of your kids don't worry you as much as on others; what is a problem for one isn't for another.

Some kids may need to be under an iron-fist method. As for your relationships with your kids compared to your wife, I've noticed that kids tend to talk to one parent more than another - usually the one they feel more comfortable around. But also sometimes the one they think will be more lenient, especially when they're asking for something they're pretty sure the other parent would shoot down. You have seen your kids try to play you against mom, hmm?

[dawn53]

When my son was younger he was such an avid reader that we could actually get him to do his chores, etc. by threatening to take his book away, LOL.

Yeah, those days have gone, but we find that depriving him of "social activites" seems to be the great motivator.

He's very active in our youth group at church, and plays in a band there a couple nights a week, and when we've had to threaten, we sometimes laugh, because the threat comes out, "Do such and such, or you won't be going to church tonight." Sounds ridiculous, but it works.

[mtbopfuyn]

And I do not trust you to tell the truth. When you are not in the car, you will wear a convict's dog collar so we can track you on foot, because you are a sneaky little bastard who cannot tell the truth.

Ha, reminds me of when I worked for the state juvenile detention center. If only those kids' parents had bothered keeping track of what those little angels were up to.

[Not A Snowbird]

Well, you could try asking them where they were. A novel approach around here.

You're assuming surveillance is the first line of defense for all the parents that have responded. Perhaps we've all tried talking and asking, and have been burned.

[Not A Snowbird]

My parents got around that by sending me to their room.

Ouch! Now that hurts.

[Dinsdale]

is not allowed on mine

I'd have had a hardware keylogger on your machine so fast it would make your head spin...perhaps so has your daughter.

If she did it right you would never know.

Technical solutions give false security all too often.

[Not A Snowbird]

I do not trust you to tell the truth because you are an irresponsible, unaccountable little creature, incapable of making right decisions and for your actions and you cannot tell the truth..

Sadly, Cobra, sometimes it is just that simple.

[Xenalyte]

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how much it sucked. No books, no TV, no stereo, no piano, no NOTHING!

(Yeah, the piano was in my bedroom. It was Mom's clever ploy to get me to clean my room before the piano teacher came over.)

[Secret Agent Man]

In this case they had no reason to trust their daughter, because the girl was lying, continuously about where she was going.

Lazy parent. A lazy parent doesn't give two sh1ts about what their kids are doing or who they hang with or where they go. Would you feel they were more active parents if they actually got in their cars and followed her and busted her on the spot?

You have to learn to discern the difference between legitimate uses of surveillance and illegitimate ones. You don't get to cry 'big brother' when you're really upset you've been caught lying.

[Not A Snowbird]

I'd have had a hardware keylogger on your machine so fast it would make your head spin.

I have one.

..perhaps so has your daughter.

If she tried to get on my machine, I'd detect the logon.

[Publius6961]

"I was kind of mad because I felt it was an invasion of my privacy," said the Los Gatos resident, now 17.

Invasion of privacy, huh?
Imagine how much more miffed she would be (were she my daughter) if she had privileges suspended for 6 months before trying again...

[Publius6961]

"I was kind of mad because I felt it was an invasion of my privacy," said the Los Gatos resident, now 17.

Invasion of privacy, huh?
Imagine how much more miffed she would be (were she my daughter) if she had privileges suspended for 6 months before trying again...

[Publius6961]

Wolf said. "To the extent that you do surveillance, you are potentially interfering with your kids developing responsibility for their own lives."

Only if they do something wrong, which, in the real world, is sometimes fatal. Is that not also a cost for doing nothing?

[Publius6961]

I guess it sure beats actually having conversations with your kid.

What a silly response. Those are not mutually exclusive.

[Dinsdale]

A hardware keylogger is a device that goes between your keyboard and your computer. It records all keystrokes.

The only way to prevent their use is to epoxy the keyboard into its socket or check for unknown gadgets everytime you use the computer (they're small, look like pc to usb adaptors).

IIRC you can get one on E-bay for about $15.

Your computer can be owned. Especially if you use windows (not trying to hijack the tread but it's true).

[gridlock]

From the good folks at ThinkGeek.com

Portably Track (via GPS) Your Adventures Via Google Earth or Mapquest!

This small GPS gadget can easily be placed in a car, boat, land speeder, or just about any moving object and will record its own time, date, location, speed, direction and altitude. The recorded information can then be downloaded to your computer through the USB port and optionally integrated with Google Earth or Mapquest. This feature allows you to "playback" the location points of the TrackStick and see a visual mapped history of its travels.

Containing 1MB of memory it can store up to 4000 records allowing for months of travel. When the TrackStick is not moving, memory is not used. The record interval is adjustable to anything between 1 and 15 minutes (this is used to save memory and will not extend the battery life). It's so small you can hide it for covert applications. There are no special software applications to buy and the raw data can be exported in RTF, XLS, HTML, or Google Earth KML formats.

Also has these features.

-Records time, date, location, speed, direction and altitude
-Works with Google Earth, Mapquest, maps.google.com, Virtual Earth
-Location points are downloaded into its software and then mapped
-Battery duration is 5 to 7 days of typical operation (low power mode)
-Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
-Dimensions: 4 x 1 1/4 x 3/4
-Comes with TrackStick, lanyard, software CD

[Publius6961]

The odds of my daughter taking off like that during her high school years was essentially zero.
This was in the mid to late 80s. Since the little darlings don't need any further exoteric education in this area, I ain't saying more...