Tracking Kids' Every Move

From NPR's Tovia Smith comes this feature (8/29/06 - 5:40) guaranteed to arouse a heated discussion in any freshman class: on automobile tracking devices based on GPS technology. Not only does the technology track where teenagers take the family car but also how fast they are driving.

A core part of this feature is the position of child psychiatrist Steve Shlozman, who argues that "keeping too close an eye on kids, often backfires":

When kids feel crowded, they tend to do things that they otherwise would not do . . . . They take even greater risk because they have a desire to prove their independence and their individuality. There is something they need to get away with.

The father in the piece calls this "psycho-babble," and claims his daughter will someday thank him for caring enough to keep tabs on her movement.

Classroom thoughts

• Where do you come down on the debate between the child psychologist and the father in the NPR piece?
  
• Monitoring or spying is clearly becoming a more normal part of everyday life, especially for groups that for one reason or another seem to willingly have conceded some of their rights, such as people who fly. What other groups of people seem to have less right to privacy, and how do you feel about the matter?