Youth need privacy for healthy growth, development, and to work through ideas. Yet in these monitoring-obsessed days of child-rearing, privacy is often thrown to the side in exchange for surveillance. 

That’s why innovative educators help parents see past simplified safety advice like: only use technology in a communal area. While imposing such restrictions is easy and may give a false sense of security, it is ineffective.

Here’s why:

Does not foster trust

Drives behavior underground

Monitoring doesn’t stop bad behavior, it drives it underground. Find out for yourself. Ask a teen who’s monitored if it makes them stop doing something or just become better at lying about what they’re doing.

Your child needs privacy 

Wanting privacy goes along with the development of independence. A young person doesn’t want all their thoughts, feelings, and creations on display. Privacy allows young people to work out their thinking and feelings in a safe place.

Does not promote safe independent use

Your child is not always going to be using technology at home and you are not always going to be there to monitor them. More effective than surveillance is supporting your child in using technology effectively. This means fostering a trusting relationship where you can speak to one another.

Your turn

What do you think? Is this in alignment with advice you give parents? How are you helping to instill responsible use in the youth with whom you work?