McLaughlin 1

Monson McLaughlin

Mrs. Paquin

English 10/ P.1

4 May, 2016

Teens Right to Privacy

Everyone knows that all adults were once kids who made a ton of regrettable mistakes.

As they grew up, they wanted to make sure their kids didn’t repeat the same mistakes they made.

Parents are always trying to help their kids, not harm them. Some teens may think otherwise. In

this technology age, the internet can be beneficial but it “poses a much greater risk of damage to

children…because the major media are at least identifiable and subject to some pressure”

(Children’s Safety on the Internet). Teenagers should not have the same privacy rights as adults

expect because they are more likely to take risks and make bad decisions without really

understanding the consequences. Furthermore, too much privacy can also lead to a safety issue,

misconduct, and inappropriate behavior.

Many parents feel like they should monitor their children’s lives and guide them so they

don’t make unnecessary mistakes resulting in damaging consequences. Parents are still legally

responsible for their children as teens; and therefore, certain parameters should exist to protect

them from themselves. Teens sometimes are more inclined to take risks and make poor choices

that have lasting consequences. All parents should have the knowledge of what their kids are

doing on the internet. For example, when the mother, Jill Ross, found out that “ her 16 year old

daughter had set up her own video channel using the camera on her laptop, sometimes in her

bedroom, she and a friend were recording mundane teenage banter and broadcasting it on
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youtube for the world to see” (Sengupta 1). It did not sit well with the mom knowing her

daughter was doing things she didn’t approve of behind her back. Sometimes immaturity leads to

risky behavior and some teens can’t see the potential harm that this sort of behavior could cause,

like drawing the attention of an unwanted stalker. This is when the parents need to step in and

check in on their kids social media and personal life once in awhile to keep them from making

bad mistakes and getting themselves in trouble. In the Algonquin school district “parents

complained recently that the elementary school students could access pornography on their

tablets prompting the district to rework its filtering system” (Black 4). The amount of privacy

that not just teens, but kids in general have, due to the lack of security and/or filters is ridiculous.

The school has put the responsibility on the parents to monitor the student's school issued

devices, which should already have had software installed for safety and privacy. Kids need to be

monitored and have limited privacy, otherwise in many cases, it can lead to poor viewing choices

and preventable risks.

It is a commonly known fact that too much independence and privacy has led to

misconduct and inappropriate behavior. In many instances, “because of the concerns about

cyberbullying, schools often discipline students for their online postings, even if they are made

outside of school” (Privacy Rights for Teenagers). Schools have the right to have access to social

media accounts when there is speculation of illegal or harmful activity. Even though teens have

privacy rights, parents and schools should help to draw the line on what’s too far. There has been

software that “detects suspect words and phrases, which may then be analyzed by a worker who

looks for the context...most concern profanity, but some refer to bullying and more serious

offenses” (Barnes 7). A lot of teens hide behind the privacy of their screens and don’t know who
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they are hurting or whether or not what they are saying is inappropriate. This cyber-bullying can

lead to causing serious emotional and psychological harm, scarred self-esteems, which in some

cases, leads to suicide. It also could lead to legal issues and possible student suspension. To

prevent this, kids need to be educated and taught about these undesirable effects and

consequences. Adults deserve to have more privacy than children and teens due to the fact that

teens are more likely to post offensive or inappropriate content.

Many may argue that teenagers deserve to have the same rights to privacy that adults

expect because teens need room to experience life without the burden of a “helicopter parent”

(Paul 7) and learn from their own mistakes. Some teens also complain that their parents are

always looking through their private info. However, teenagers should not have a right to

complete privacy because the children are still dependant on their parents and the parents are still

responsible for them (Parents’ and Teens’ Perspectives on Privacy In a Technology-Filled

World). A study at Carnegie Mellon University explains that a teens financial dependance on

their parents minimizes their right to complete privacy. The parents have the right to know what

their kids are doing most of the time since they’re ultimately responsible for their minor children.

Teens need to learn from their own mistakes, but parents are there to help guide them and make

sure they are safe.

Teenagers should not have the same privacy rights as adults. They are more prone to

taking unnecessary risks and making poor decisions without thinking of the outcome of these

choices. Too much privacy can possibly lead to misconduct, mischief, and unintended

devastating consequences to oneself and others. Parents need to monitor their kids actions

whether it be online or in their personal life to prevent damaging consequences to their children
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that they might not fully comprehend. In this generation, everything revolves around technology

so children and especially teens need to understand that that their parents want to protect them

and giving them all the rights in the world isn’t necessarily the best route to take. Adults have to

keep tabs with what their kids are doing on the devices and in their personal lives.
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Works Cited

Black, Lisa. “Big Teacher Is Watching.” ​Chicago Tribune​. 28 Sep. 2014: 1.​ SIRS Issues

Researcher​. Web 01 May. 2016

Cranor, Lorrie Faith, Adam L. Durity, Abigail Marsh, and Blase Ur. "Parents’ and Teens’

Perspectives on Privacy In a Technology-Filled World." ​Unisex.org​. Carnegie Mellon

University. Web. 03 May. 2016.

“ Fact Sheet 21a: Children’s Safety on the Internet.” Children’s Safety on the Internet. Privacy

Rights Clearinghouse, June 1998. Web. 03 May. 2016

Paul, Pamela. “Cyberparenting and the Risk of T.M.I.” ​New York Times.​ 05 May 2013: ST.8.

SIRS​ ​Issues Researcher​. Web. 19 Apr. 2015

ProQuest Staff. “At Issue: Privacy Rights for Teenagers.” ​ProQuest​ LLC. 2015: n.pag. ​SIRS

Issues Researcher​. Web. 02 May 2016

Sengupta, Somini. “‘Big Brother’? No It’s Parents.” ​New York Times​. 26 Jun. 2012: A.1. ​SIRS

Issues Researcher​. Web. 02 May 2016