The Undercover Parent By Harlan Coben

In Harlan Coben’s article “The Undercover Parent” (2008), the author claims that parents should protect their children by getting spyware on their devices to protect them from the dangers of the Internet. Coben supports his claim by first providing an illustration of what most people think when they hear the word “spyware” and then giving an example of why you should get spyware to protect your child. The author’s purpose is to persuade parents of teenagers so that they get spyware to protect their children because he first thought it was bad, but then he saw the good of it. Coben writes in an informational and conversational tone for parents to understand him in order to protect their children against the dangers of the internet.

Even though

He lacks in the amount of research done, statistics shown, and reliable evidence used throughout his article, which can affect people’s opinions on his claim. If I were a parent who just read this article, I would not go out of my way to get spyware, that’s because of his lack of evidence to help support his claim. While Coben doesn’t use any objective evidence, he knows his audience and tries to guilt them into buying spyware. In the article, Coben gives examples of some of the dangers on the internet, for example, “using spyware to monitor his college-bound, straight-A daughter, found out that not only was she using drugs, but she was also sleeping with her dealer” (paragraph 13). Examples like this, which cannot be confirmed as accurate, might make parents concerned and

I support that parents are watching their children to ensure safety, but you have to keep it at certain levels. I believe that, when monitoring your child’s activities, you should inform them that you are doing so. If you were not to tell your child that you are spying on them, and they find out one day, your child’s trust in you is gone. Some argue that it is best to not tell your child that you are spying on them because if you did they will just use ways to avoid being watched. People with this idea forget that teens will most likely not go out of their way to avoid being watched and don’t have such ways to perform this. They will also probably not have enough time on their hands to evade spyware. Another argument that many agree with is that spyware invades privacy and breaks trust. This only becomes apparent because of how accessible it is for parents to invade their children’s private conversations. Though, with respectful parents, they will only use spyware to protect their children and not to invade their privacy. Parents should allow and trust their children to chat with their friends, without eavesdropping on the conversation. Overall people argue that spyware is unethical, but finding the perfect balance of what's right and wrong is great for you to stay on track with your child and keep your trust. While with