Harlen Coben Undercover Parent Summary

In the NYTimes article “Undercover parent” 2008, Harlen Coben argues that parents should use spyware to monitor their child's online activity, however they must discuss their concerns and possibilities of spyware with their child before doing so. Coben explains that parents should be alert about the potential dangers of the Internet. Coben's purpose is to inform parents about spyware in order to prevent children from getting involved in risky activities. This author uses persuasive writing to appeal to parents and children about the dangers of the Internet. While Coben argues in favor of monitoring children's behavior online, parents should not spy on their children. When parents do this, it is an invasion of privacy which leads to distrust between children and their parents. Additionally, if parents spy on their children, the child will soon grow out of having overprotective parents who give them no privacy, that will eventually lead them to rebel.

In other words, children will not be able to freely do anything online knowing their parents are watching their every move. In fact, by not giving children privacy, you essentially treat them like an object and not a human being. As a matter of fact, spying on children will most likely make them feel violated. For example, being a student in high school who obtains straight A’s, participates in extracurricular activities, and has never had any run-ins with dangerous substances such as drugs or alcohol, I would assume I earned the right to having privacy from my parents. However, my parents recently began to confiscate my phone everyday after school for no apparent reason. Provided that, my parents have made me very furious for having the need to punish me by taking my phone away with no explanation whatsoever. As a result of this, it has created distrust between my parents and