Should parents secretly monitor their child’s text messages, phone calls and social media activities in order to keep them safe?
That’s a dilemma confronted by parents as they try to balance safety with honoring their child’s privacy and independence.
A recent Pew Research Center survey of parents of 13- to 17-year-olds found that 61 percent of parents check the websites visited by their teens, 48 percent review phone call records or text messages and 56 percent follow their kids on social media. It’s unclear whether such supervision was done covertly or with the knowledge of their teen.
Apps such as TeenSafe allow parents to secretly monitor their children’s text messages, phone calls, browsing history and Instagram posts.
Those in favor of such spying make a strong argument. Safety trumps privacy. The dangers of the digital world are too overwhelming for most teens to navigate without parental guidance.
The margin for error is small. A sexually explicit photo sent impulsively can have lifelong consequences for a child. Parents have an obligation to help their kids become responsible digital citizens. They can only do so if they know what their kids are doing.
Just as we wouldn’t give our teen permission to … Read More... “To Spy or Not to Spy on your Child’s Internet Use”
Around this time of year, it is impossible to go anywhere without hearing or seeing something reminding us to “give thanks” and to get into the “holiday” spirit. However, as the joy and excitement of the season spreads, so does the stress and anxiety that goes along with it. While it may seem strange to those of us who believe this is the “most wonderful time of the year,” for the victims of child abuse, it can actually be the worst.
Summer is coming.
The key role of the child protective services (CPS) investigator is to determine if a child is at risk of harm. When a child is in immediate danger, CPS and/or law enforcement work to ensure the child’s safety. Often a safety plan is developed which will keep a child safe at home. When that is not possible the child may be taken into protective supervision.
On Thursday, October 18, 2012, I had the opportunity to visit the Haines Children’s Center located at 3304 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio, to meet with Ann Stevens, Public Information Coordinator of the 
A recent study identifies the nation’s most dangerous traffic intersection. It’s at Flamingo Road and Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The insurance company’s engineer who compiled the report notes that the intersection meets appropriate design standards and is regulated by traffic lights. He said traffic volume and driver error were two important factors in the high number of crashes.
We want to thank Daniel Pollack, a professor at Yeshiva University’s School of Social Work in New York City and a frequent expert witness in child welfare cases for sending an article he published “Homeschooling and Child Protection”, Policy & Practice (Feb. 2012). The issue that he wrote about is an important one in the child welfare world and one that has hit home in real life recently in Dayton, Ohio. We have adapted this blog article in large part from Professor Pollack’s article.