With the advancements in the modern technology, it is no more difficult for one to keep an eye on the activities of his/her child. Now, this really is a big question, and must be answered comprehensively that is it ethical to spy on your child? Today, many people believe that there is nothing bad in it, and one may spy on his child’s activities online and offline, so that one may come to know if anything wrong is going on. On the other hand, there is a group who considers that it is unethical to spy on your child. They also make a notion that if you are spying on your child’s activities, you probably do not trust your kid.

What I think is that it is perfectly OK to keep an eye on what your teen is doing online, with whom he communicates through his cell phone, or where he has been throughout the day when he is away from home. Here I would like to present a number of different reasons in support of my view about the issue being discussed.

Spying or parental control?

Firstly, parents need to understand that keeping an eye on the kid’s activities, is not snooping! It is parental control! The reason is that parents do not intend to know about their child’s activities, just for the sake of spying or for some commercial intent. Rather, they have an intent to investigate if their child is indulged in some illicit or immoral activities offline or online. The intent is different altogether, so you first need to substitute the term snooping with parental control.

Protecting the child online

Cyberbullying is not a new term for us, and we also do know that kids happen to be the softest target for any cyber bully around. Most case studies also reveal that when a child is being bullied, he gets so much depressed that he does not discuss it with his parents, fearing that he may be scolded by his parents for interacting with the bully or may be due to the feeling that his parents would not trust him in case he share it with his parents. In such a situation, the only way you can come to know about the activities of your child is through monitoring his activities online through a parental control app.

Adult content online

I am sure all parents ‘strictly’ ask their teens, not to see any adult content published online. But the question is, is this strict advice enough to stop your children from viewing any obscene content on the internet? Certainly, it is not enough. Yes, you need to trust your child, but you also need to investigate if he is worth your trust. Summing up the argument, in order to make sure that your teen doesn’t view any vulgar content online, it is quite right for you to monitor his cell phone.

Physical location

Obviously, you cannot be with your child 24/7, as you also have a lot of tasks to execute.  You cannot exactly know if your child is in his school when he leaves home. So in order to know that whether or not your child is where he is supposed to be, it is perfectly fine if you monitor his cell phone.

Should I tell my child about it?

This question is also one of the most frequently discussed questions online. What I think is that it is better to tell your child that he or she is being monitored by you through a parental control app. This has two advantages. Firstly, it will strengthen the relation of trust between you and your child. Secondly, it will also hinder him from viewing any adult content on the internet or doing any such immoral activity offline or online.   

Concluding the discussion, it can be firmly asserted that there is nothing bad if you are spying on your child’s activities. Rather, it is a very good activity, which is beneficial for your child, as it ensures his safety, especially on the internet.