Do you wonder what your child is doing? And, do you often have the urge to spy on your child? Is it right? Here is all you need to know to answer your doubts on this delicate subject.

Is Spying on Kids Good or Not?

There have been a lot of debates about whether parents should spy on their kids or not. While some justify their actions, there are others who feel that being over obsessive can cause more harm than good.

A number of parents often make use of technology to spy on their kids. By using some apps, one can easily access the photos, browser history and the text messages of their kids. But a number of them make no apologies of the same. For example, a mother of 13-year-old girl found out about her boyfriend and as to how they have been making plans for sexual dates. By knowing about it beforehand, she could take the necessary action. But it does not work in the favor of parents always.

A number of parents who have teens are scared of the technology and the lifestyle the kids are exposed to. Kids can easily get into trouble and parents wish to keep an eye on them to keep them away from it. With a number of tracking technologies available, parents can now view the location of their child on the map, can monitor their calls, text messages, social media accounts and much more. There are also apps that send an alert to parents if their kids are driving fast in a car.

But parents need to know as to how they can draw a fine line between being protective and being obsessed. Kids too need their private time and this will help them learn about their own abilities and identities. Though parents might feel good to keep a tab on every move of the kid, such a snooping can at times cause more harm than any good.

So, what do the experts suggest? As per a number of parenting experts, parents have to work really hard to transform their child into a healthy and self-sufficient teen or adult. This process of healthy autonomy can start when the kids approach their teens and this is when parents often feel that their kids are crawling away from them. This is when most parents tend to get overprotective, worsening the situations. What makes it really challenging for a parent is to balance the desire of their kid’s autonomy and their safety.

Kids like any other human beings need their privacy as it helps develop self-sufficiency in them. There is a stage in the life of every kid when their bodies, as well as their social lives, start to change rapidly and this is when they tend to experiment with who they are and their self-expression. So, it is important that parents give them that needed space.

Teens often tend to move away from parents who are controlling and parents need to understand that this is due to their demand for their own private space. By intruding on kid’s privacy, parents often tend to strain the relationship they have with their own kids. When parents snoop, they show a feeling of distrust, which gets hard for any kid to take.

Kids are more tech-savvy than their parents and they can easily hack any app the parents are using to track their messages or chats. This is when kids tend to get more secretive. The main reason kids try and hide from their parents is when they feel that they are not being trusted. In due course of time, parents are left with no clue as to what their kids are doing, about their friends or their activities.

Invading a kids privacy can also lead to a number of mental problems in them. Kids can develop a number of health issues like depression, anxiety and many such internalizing behavioural patterns. Parents should never underestimate their kid’s confidence levels and need to show their trust in them.

It is good to be protective of your child, but draw a line and do not get obsessive. Let your kids develop their own abilities, confidence levels so that they become self-sufficient. Let your kids trust you and let them know how much you love and care for them. Your kids need to approach you when they have a problem and by spying, you are yourself driving them away from you.

So, trust your kids, talk to them in case you find an issue. Trust them, nurture them and they will certainly end up being healthy and successful adults.