Spying Or Parenting?

A controversial state-sponsored program in West Virginia is looking to teach parents how to get closer with their kids...by spying on them.

The program is known as the Hidden In Plain Sight program and it's being presented by the West Virginia State Police, and sponsored by the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities.

Parents who have been taking advantage of the program, have had the opportunity to be taught how to snoop through a mock bedroom of a teenage boy and girl.

Organizers with the program are teaching the parents how to look for supposed evidence that might point to concerns for something like substance abuse, self-harm, any eating disorders, or possible violence etc.

Some parents have already criticized the program, suggesting that it violates the privacy of the child and contributes to an erosion of trust between the parents and children.

According to one member with the WV State Police, they see the snooping as an opportunity for parents to foster an open dialogue with their children.

Aside from receiving some pointers on how they might be able to look around the room for drugs and other concerning items, the parents were also given some tips about online activity and about monitoring the phone and tablet activity of the child.

If the children unexpectedly finds out that their parents have gone looking through their room, it can easily violate the trust that's already been established between the two.

However, parents are often the ones who pay for the rent of that bedroom and they are likely the ones who funded the items that fill the bedroom, so they can feel as if they have a right to go looking through whatever they want in the name of safety. However, if they gave that property to their child as a gift, doesn't it then become the property of the child and then mean he has a right not to have it invaded?

Trust can easily be broken and once it has been, it can take quite a while to try and repair. There are many parents today who struggle with that thin line of wanting to protect their children and trying to balance that with respecting their privacy.

Pics:
Pixabay

Sources:
http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Parents-learn-more-their-kids-safety-in-Hidden-in-Plain-Sight-481199801.html
http://www.wboy.com/news/marion/program-educates-parents-on-how-to-effectively-snoop-on-their-children/1150589723
https://www.fatherly.com/news/west-virginia-program-teaches-parents-effectively-spy-kids/
http://theconversation.com/spying-on-your-kids-phone-with-teensafe-will-only-undermine-trust-40385
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/08/05/online-safety_n_11353338.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/well/family/is-snooping-on-teenagers-ever-ok.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2014/09/17/teens-parents-tracking-apps-security-mamabear-teensafe/15716335/