Any Experience With These Spyware for iPhones?

[M.D. Holloway]

Cell Phone Spy & Monitoring Software, Mobile Spy App - StealthGenie

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We had a parent meeting for the incoming freashmen. The police made a pitch at the end - gave these sites as a means of keeping an eye on your kiddos. Interesting. Can't say I would get this or not. I want to think I know what they are doing but I'm not gonna fool myself either.

Any experience with these?

[nostatic]

Makes me ill. Do they want to burn books too?

[nostatic]

If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend it. Brilliant

[stealthn]

Freshman as in Unniversity? Aren't kids 18? Then it would be wiretapping...

Better to raise your child right in the first place IMHO

[onewhippedpuppy]

Creepy. In the event of emergency you can always use Find My iphone to track them down. If you suspect they are up to something shady on their phone, just make them give it to you. Most teens aren't real smart about covering their tracks anyway.

[red-beard]

Pretty sure, knowing Mike, this is High School

[HardDrive]

Frightening. Reflection of a society where parents aren't not even bothering to try and teach their children to be trustworthy.

[M.D. Holloway]

I did catch my 10 year old watching 'That 70s Show' and talked to her about it. Mind you that's rather benign compared to somethings but she is 10. My son who is 14 has been caught watching Blue Mountain something or other. Seems like a spoof on Friday Night Lights. Again benign.

I am mixed on the techno - yes on one side I want to think they are on the right path and if something happens then they shall have to work through the consequences - part of growing up right?

Yet on another side I am curious to validate my suspicions that they are on a good path and not being chuckle heads.

[M.D. Holloway]

Hard drive - it's a very different world. We had to work to see porn or sneak a drink. Pot was 5% THC at best. Not now. Porn is easy to find and what young teen isn't gonna look? As for booze and drugs? Dope is stronger than ever and kids are even inhaling alcohol now!

It's a very different world with far more opportunity for failure. Don't think little Johnny or Suzy are all that straight up starched tight. We all know of the 'good kid' getting mixed up in some stuff they can't pull out of. I'm not gonna fool myself. I put drug testing kits on my mantle. Every kid that comes in the house sees it. I'm not gonna test them but they know that I plan on testing my HS son randomly. They tease him from time to te but he hasn't lost any friends over it. In fact it just may serve him as an out 'Dude, I would love a hit but my old man does randoms on my shyt and if caught I loose my phone and what not, he's such a dik.'
By the way, when I did the test kit thing he just laughed. He does ridiculous things but I am 99% sure he will never do anything in HS. College may be an entirely different matter.

[M.D. Holloway]

Nostatic - not sure I follow the book burning mention. How are the two related ?

I do like the 'Lives of Others' though. That looks like a great film.

The balence of personal liberty and parenting is certainly a precarious balence.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

Hard drive - it's a very different world.

Its not a different world. Either you trust your kids, or you don't. Kids are going to make mistakes. Thats life.

Alcohol and drugs have been around forever. The temptations of sex have been around forever. The only thing different about our world is societies efforts to enslave its citizens with technology. If you want to teach your children that they should expect to be spied on, well great. The folks at the NSA love folks like you.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Its not a different world. Either you trust your kids, or you don't. Kids are going to make mistakes. Thats life.

Yup. As a society we seem hell-bent on protecting our kids from failing. But how do they learn to respond to failure if you never let them fail? We can only protect them from life for so long.......

And you shouldn't need a drug test to know if your kid is turning into a stoner. You'll know it from his behavior, grades, and friends.

[M.D. Holloway]

Hard drive, you have kids?

[M.D. Holloway]

Whipped - 200 years ago I would teach my kids on how to care for the horse. Yup horse are particular beasts and yes they can be dangerous. Today I teach my son to drive. The skill set and awearness required in driving a car v. riding a horse is completely different. The level of concentration is completely different. More opportunity to fail in a car than a horse.

The analogy is simple to understand yet is a reflection of the times. Kids today have several 'advantages' to fail - more access, more money, more variety, and more communication - yes more communication.

So those of you with kiddos, how often do you think 'Man! If I had the ______ that kids have today....'

And yet has parenting really changed to meet the times?

And for what it's worth, the seal on the drug kit hasn't been broken yet, prolly won't. But it's no different than my old man knowing the level of the Vodka bottle my Mom counting her ciggs.

[HardDrive]

I have one daughter.

[speeder]

I don't have kids so I'll just base my opinion on the experience of my sister and several close friends who are raising extraordinary kids in the evil big city in 2013 w/o having to electronically spy on them. So-called "helicopter parenting" truly is hideous and would be the logical cause of some really screwed-up offspring, IMO and experience.

And the people I'm thinking about would know in a heartbeat if one of their kids was having problems or was high w/o needing a drug test. Your kids' friends must think that you're nuts.

[stomachmonkey]

If they kept a journal/diary would you read it without cause?

It's a massive invasion of privacy.

I'll trust my kids unless they give me a reason not to.

[M.D. Holloway]

Disagree with the times - things are different, they are always going to be different. many years ago the kid did or didn't do things because of external and internal pressure. They didn't do many stupid things for pressure of punishment or they did stupid things because of boredom or peer pressure. Thats a real deal.

Yes, I consider it an invasion of privacy but then again until they are 18 and more on to 21 they have no privacy in my opinion. They have given me little to no reason not to trust them but they are also going to understand that I shall know of all the good, bad and ugly that occurs. Years ago kids feared God or Santa as a sort of police. Parents would also rat out kids as well. That doesn't seem to be the case but there is a need for some sort of monitoring.

I can't say I will be using any of this software. I read my son's and daughters texts from time to time. Am I invading their privacy? Yup, I am.

The concept that Dad is going to be keeping an eye on you isn't new. I told them prior to cell phones that we know plenty of people in this little town and I make it very well know that if a parent or teacher witnesses or even hears about something they do (good or bad) I want to hear about it. Luckly they have never gotten into any mischief that is of considerable concern. They know eyes are on them and so be it. Isn't that the way a society helps raise a kid?

StoMo, I've met your kiddos, you are fortunate to have some amzing kids. really. the chances of them doing anything of bigtime stupid are remote. Harddrive, while I have never met your daughter I shall assume she is a slice off of your shoulder and a stand up kiddo. No reason not to think so.

Now I will well imagine that you both have taken time, to great lengths to to instill upon them a certain amount of values and judgements. It shall serve them well. I wish other parents did the same. Sadly that is not the case.

I don't really know if this software is harmful or helpful. All I know is that my Mom had eyes in back of her head and she knew when we F'd up. Could it have been the neighborhood bittys ratting us out? Maybe she over heard telephone conversations? Maybe it was my brother? May it was a mothers 6th sense?

Either way, information was taken in and action was taken. If I thought for a minute that I could get away with a very small infraction, I might try. And with success who knows maybe I would push a little further and so on and so on.

Kids that go down a bad road don't immediately do it. Its a transistion. You don't go straight to heroin. It typically starts with pot and proceeds. Thats proven again and again. Well, actions are no different.

The threat of punishment is often greater than the actual punishment. So the idea that you actions MAY be witnessed by Mom and Dad sure may make a kid think twice?

I don't know, am I just fooling myself? Am I falling vic to the marketing ploys of an oppressive society? Am I being set up to allow big brother into my soul?

[speeder]

I think that there is a difference between involved parenting and not allowing your teenagers any privacy or trust. One is good and the other is bad.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Its not a different world. Either you trust your kids, or you don't. Kids are going to make mistakes. Thats life.

He made the point that there are a lot more opportunities for kids to make mistakes now, and he's right. It is a different world. Porn, booze, drugs are all easier to come by so mistakes are easier to make.
I'm not sure about the spying on your kids thing. Kids are going to make mistakes and jumping on them about every questionable act that you learn about via spying is a bad, bad idea. But I would sure like to know about a pattern of bad behavior before it got out of hand.