A few years ago, my sister in-law started to feel worried about her teenage daughter. What was she doing after school? Where was she spending her time? Her daughter was an excellent student, and took part in all kinds of after-class activities. Even so, she decided to put a tracking (跟踪) app on the kid's phone.
At first, this made my sister-in-law "feel better". Then the good situation suddenly ended, She recalled, "I found out that she was someplace that she said she wasn't. I went out in the middle of the night and found her walking without shoes in the middle of the street with some friends,"Things went quickly downhill for the mother and the daughter after that.
With 83% of teens having their own phones now, according to a study in 2020, more and more of their parents are facing the question to watch or not?
Ann Homayoun, expert from Harford University, has advised many parents and their kids about this. "I've found tens are more acceptable to tracking apps when it is included as part of a family agreement to improve safety than when it is placed as a secret tool to watch them," she said.
Mark Bell, a father of a teenage girl, said, "We don't have tracking apps, but we have set some ground rules that my daughter must follow in exchange for us providing a phone," he said. For example, his daughter must "friend"him on social media (媒体) so that he can read posts, and must share all passwords. When you're trying to build trust, you need to create an environment that encourages it. So, to win their trust, you always need to be straight with your children,
"Parents must let children know how and when they'll be watching them," said Doctor White. "If they're not open about it", he warns, "it can greatly harm the parent and child relationship."
