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In his controversial essay, “The Undercover Parent,” Harlen Coben takes a focused look at ethical and responsible parenting. Originally published in the New York Times, Coben shares how some of his friends confessed to using spyware to track their 15-year-olds internet usage covertly. Initially, the idea repulsed Coben, but after doing his research, he “gets it” (2008). Throughout the essay, Coben argues his support for such tactics. However, his claim rests upon some questionable pretenses. Citing the dangers of pedophiles, porn, cyberbullying, Coben asserts that using spyware is a justified parenting practice. He draws attention to the parental inconsistency of overprotecting their children in the physical world, then sending them unprotected into the dangers of the web (Coban, 2008). While Coban recognizes that this can seem like an invasion of privacy, he makes the differentiation between the false anonymity the internet provides, and a locked journal kept under a mattress (2008). He maintains that it is not a matter of trust, implies that parents who do not spy on their children’s internet use are negligent. …show more content…
While he tries his best to avoid invoking Lovejoy’s Law, Coben’s conjecture relies on the logical fallacy. In his concluding thesis, he writes that while Americans tend to distrust all infringements of privacy, the growing challenge of the internet requires us to question that virtue, “And particularly when it comes to our children. (Coben, 2008)” Coben’s wants you to leave his essay worried about your kids, a tactic to distract you from the underlying hole in his argument. Parents who need spyware to monitor their children are
Internet is advancing every day, parents have no idea what their kids are doing in cyberspace and are contemplating the idea of spyware. In the article, “The Undercover Parent” by Harlan Coben, he argues the idea of parents putting spyware on kids’ computer is a good idea to keep the child safe. Many American parents have no idea what happens in cyberspace; sex, bullying, and drugs. Parents are torn between protecting their child with spyware and allowing the child to have privacy. Coben uses his friends’ personal experiences to support his argument without leaving room for counterarguments. By using strong emotional appeals, weak qualifiers, and sugary word choice Coben creates a weak argument that lacks persuasion.
Harlan Coben’s essay “The Undercover Parent” attempts to enlighten readers, specifically parents, of the benefits to installing spyware onto their children’s computers in order to keep record of their child’s online activity. Whilst admitting at first he was not particularly keen on spyware himself, Coben aims to persuade his audience of the benefits by highlighting the dangers of children using the internet unsupervised and without boundaries. However, Coben fails to supply factual evidence to back up his claims, all while stating a number of contradictions within his own arguments. Coben states, “…overprotective parents fight their kids’ battles on the playground, berate coaches about playing time and fill out college applications…” (19). This is a weak argument because it inadvertently suggests that overprotectiveness
PROTECTIVE DAD My paper is called “Protective Dad”. I decided to use a Hyundai commercial featuring Kevin Hart as the main character. Kevin Hart is playing the role as the father in the commercial. His daughter’s boyfriend wants to take her on a date so Hart gives permission.
The expansion of the Internet infrastructure across the world, has brought an increased audience. Which has provided expanded markets for businesses and exploited new opportunities. There are virtually countless social sites and media used by individuals to access and share experiences , content, insights, and perspectives. Parents today tend to believe they should spy on their kids online activity. I argue parents should respect the privacy of a child's social life and his/her internet activity.
A news article called The Undercover Parent by Harlan Coben published in March 16, 2008 as a persuasive editorial where Coben argues how parents using spyware to spy on their kid’s internet history and how sometimes it might go too far. The author starts developing his argument by giving an anecdote of how one of his friends put spyware on their kid’s computer, and later on during the article Coben claims how parents can check up on their kids to see if they’re being cyber bullied or doing something inappropriate but shouldn’t cross the line of looking at their social status. Coben persuades other parents to get spyware to monitor their child’s behavior on the internet in order to make sure their parent know what
Kids now want to be more independent and have more freedom which might scare some if not most parents. A lot of parents look at the internet as a dangerous tool and not a tool where their kids can have some freedom. Although parents need to realize that they can’t protect their kids from all ...
Online predators, pornography, drug trafficking, piracy, and hate sites are just some of the dangers that a child can face on the internet. The article “The Undercover Parent” by Harlan Coben states that parents should use spyware to monitor their children. Coben argues that parents should be able to know what is in their children’s lives. he believes that spyware can prevent children from being targeted by internet predators on social networking sites and even prevent children from being cyber bullied. I agree with Coben’s claim that parents should consider using spyware as a protection for their teens online. There are many possible dangers facing children on the internet and it is essential that parents install spyware.
I agree with Coben's argument. I agree because Coben does a good job of explaining his claim. His claim was that monitoring your child's use of the internet is a good thing to do. He has three reasons that stood out to me more than the rest. Those reasons are: monitoring your child on the internet is just another way you should watch your child, it is for the safety of your kids, and it is for the safety of their future.
In the modern world, technology makes everything easier. They make finding information easy to meeting new people. This is great for those wanting new adventures, but unfortunate to those who come across false information. Teens are most susceptible to such information, and adults are trying to combat this. Parents, have gone from asking their children, to instead monitoring or “spying” on their children. In the article, “the undercover parent”, by harlan coben, coben states how parents must monitor their children in order for them to have a healthy childhood. I disagree with his statements as it is only an invasion of privacy. It can also be a sign of bad parenting and can show an unhealthy relationship between parent and child. Not to mention
Levy and Wyer point out through the use of language, facts and emotional appeals that internet privacy has, is and always will be prevalent. Levy’s article has a subtle, sarcastic quality to it but gives both sides of the story and thus more neutral than Wyer’s article. Wyer is clearly opinionated regarding the government invading society’s personal queries. Although both articles give facts, Wyer’s was able to give the audience more facts to compel his audience to action whereas Levy’s did not.
The article “Parents Behind Bars: What Happens to Their Children?” by David Murphey and P. Mae Cooper emphasizes the impact that the incarceration of parents has on their children. The article states that “Children do not often figure in discussions of incarceration, but new research finds more than five million U.S. children have had at least one parent in prison at one time or another.” What impact does this have on children? Research shows that the outcomes associated with incarceration are almost always negative. The child experiences traumatic stress and loss of “an attachment figure”. The child may also be experiencing continued encounters with law enforcement and the corrections system and similar things which only increase the traumatization.
“First, we’ve all read about the young boy unknowingly conversing with a pedophile…”(par. 8) When you’re chatting online, you have no idea who you may actually be talking to. It could be someone your age, or a 35 year old creep. If this boy’s parents were to show him the real dangers of the internet, and or place spyware on his computer/device, he probably wouldn’t have thought to talk to anybody that he didn’t know.
I agree with Coben when he says that he is okay with the monitoring of your teenagers use of the internet. I especially agreed when he said “Trust is one thing, but surrendering parental responsibility to a machine that allows the entire world access to your home borders on negligence.” It’s true you can’t just let your teen roam on the internet with no boundaries. The internet is a dangerous place and your child would not go through life unharmed by it if you let them handle it them it alone. Teenagers make mistakes and it’s parents’ jobs to fix them, prevent them, or teach them the correct ways. If you don’t monitor your teenager with spyware they will make a mistake and get hurt. Coben is only trying to persuade parents to do the right thing in the article so why don’t more people listen.
¨The Undercover Parent¨ by Harlan Coben, published in an online newspaper ¨New York Times¨ (16 March 2008), claims that the Internet is dangerous for kids. Harlan Coben explains how spyware could be a resource that keeps track of our kids’ internet use, but how it could also invade sons’ and daughters’ privacy. He also claims that parents should have conversations about their concerns with teens, and let them know spyware is a possibility. In my opinion, I quite agree and do not agree with the most of it.
“Parents play an important role in the psychosocial development and well-being of their children” (van den Eijnden). Undeniably, the quote makes a bold declaration that all parents in today’s technologically advanced society should understand and follow. With 90% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15 using the internet (Sorbring), it is important for an adult to monitor their daily usage and behavior. “Only 39 percent of parents report using parental controls for blocking, filtering, or monitoring their teenager’s online activities” (Dell’anotnia). Parents should monitor their teenagers’ daily internet use and behavior by engaging in meaningful conversations and dialogue that allow for fostering a healthy relationship.