In class we learned about parents who want to keep their children safe by monitoring their children through the use of apps. My mom does this to my brother and I so it's a situation I can personally understand. She uses the app Find Friends, where with the use of your email and adding people as friends, the app tracks you on a map with a little dot. Freshman year, I remember getting texts from her saying, "Hope you're having fun at the library" because she looked at the app and saw my location.
Sometimes she gets angry when she notices I have turned off her ability to see my location, but after getting a new phone, I just don't have the space for the app. She has resorted to using the information tab in messages when you click on the persons name. Here is shows my current location.
In class when we watched the video of the two women voicing their opinions of monitoring their children, I texted her and said that the consensus about monitoring was negative. She replied by saying, "I don't think so. Your parents opinion trumps a class discussion" and then added a little threat, "Bye bye car next year."
I think it is important for parents who have young children in Middle School or younger with smartphones to be monitored, but not people my age. If you want to know what's up just shoot me a text or call me. Don't spy on me. I definitely plan on monitoring my kids but I'km not really sure how. At some point I'll stop but I think they need to be given their space. Before technology, kids just went off with their friends and their parents had to be and were understanding of that - they knew nothing else. If they knew where you were they could call the landline, but I feel like it is unacceptable for smartphones to have become little tracking devices for parents to use.
It will be interesting to see how this issue progresses in the future as technology gets more and more intrusive on our lives.
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