Just spare me the details

MyFone was launched this week by two bellends named Sally Rae and Steve Herstell, who created the website after becoming concerned about bad cyberspace behaviour. It is a new cellphone product that allows parents to track their children and check their text messages, and it amounts to spying. To use it, just sign up your child's cellphone number and then it'll send you an email so you can see any calls or texts made to and from the phone. However, because this software is nothing but a blatant violation of childrens' rights, I am not going to put up a link to the website, nor am I going to be a part of this culture of mistrust. The system is well-meaning, but it is counterproductive and could detract from good parenting (sorry if I'm stating the obvious but so does Amy Chua). Instead, have open and frank conversations about this sort of thing with your kids. If you're going to buy cellphones for your children, talk about what that means, talk about how they use it. The most important thing is that parents continue to talk with their children, build the right sort of relationship and give them the support and the encouragement to come to them if they have issues. So don't get MyFone - it's akin to spying, and it will build walls between parents and their children, because parents who sign on to that rubbish risk their children becoming resentful and more devious in the way they communicate.