Anna1111 wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/technology/software-helps-parents-monitor-their-children-online.html?pagewanted=1
I always joked when I was a teen that my Mom had her own private branch of the CIA (she ALWAYS knew what we were doing!)
Here's how to do it with modern technology.
My take: trusting your teen alone on the computer is like trusting your two year old alone by the pool. It's not about trust - it's about realizing what your child's developmental capabilities are, and what things are dangerous for them.
What's your take?
When my dd turned 15 yo last May (2011), I told her from that point forward that I was not going to "regulate" what she watched, read, or did on the computer. We have Netflix and any movie that is watched is in our "History" part of our account. That I check, and there is no way to delete this History. I do have access to her passwords for Facebook and email, and occasionally, pop in on her accounts to do a quick check. Any books she buys or reads, I always see. I told her, basically, that she was old enough to start making her own decisions. Sure, she is going to mess up from time to time, who doesn't? I also told her that if I ever see her mood or behavior change for the worse or if her grades start failing, then all the "privileges" that she was experiencing would be gone "in a blink of an eye." So far, so good and keeping my fingers crossed.