Everybody has heard the stories of how parents are worried about what their children are doing at any given time. Some people have even proposed to make it legal for parents to spy on their offspring. In the state of New York – as well as several other US states – parents are officially encouraged to eavesdrop on their children.
Spying Has No Place In The Parenting Description
Technically speaking, it is perfectly legal for parents to spy on their children. The state of New York ruled how listening in on and recording cell phone conversations are both perfectly legal. This came to be after a resident recorded a conversation involving his son, who was threatened by his mother’s new friend.
What is even more astonishing is how the perpetrator was in fact convicted on three different counts when this evidence was presented. The attorney of the defendant was not amused by such proof being allowed in court, as he felt eavesdropping was illegal under state law. However, the judge ruled otherwise, which is causing a lot of confusion right now
While there is an argument to be made of how the father did the right thing, the fact remains he willingly eavesdropped on a private conversation. When children are under a particular age, this may be deemed to be acceptable. But the story becomes entirely different when we are dealing with mature children getting close to the legal age of 18.
There is a very fine between what needs to be done and what is ethically legal. It is hard to distinguish between eavesdropping in the best interest of one’s child, and doing it for personal gain as part of a tense personal situation, such as a divorce. However, this activity is perfectly legal in the state of New York, as the benefits outweigh the privacy concerns for the time being.
Moreover, this type of activity is condoned in twelve other US states as well. While parents should always have the best interests of their children in mind, purposefully spying and eavesdropping should not be a top priority. This also raises more questions regarding privacy concerns, and how far people can go when it comes to their kin.
Source: Finextra
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