Microsoft's New Family Tools Help Parents Micro-Manage Their Kids

[Guest]

Microsoft's new family tools for Android, Windows 10, and the Xbox One aim to help parents keep tabs on their kids. But do they go too far?

Microsoft's New Family Tools Help Parents Micro-Manage Their Kids : Read more

 

[randomizer]

I don't think that most kids are that much more tech-savvy than their parents, they're just more tech-saturated. They have broad but shallow knowledge. It doesn't require a whole lot of skill to uninstall the Microsoft launcher though.

 

[ubercake]

By the time a "child you don't trust" with a smart phone is through middle school, they know how to use location-faking apps and VPN to get around anything. Someone will eventually release an app to make what these Microsoft tools are attempting to do look silly and all the kids will be running it. In the meantime, these location-faking and VPN apps are stealing the kid's IDs/passwords, account numbers, pics, etc... Most of the kids have no clue about this part of it and I'm not sure they'd care if they did know. All they care is that mom and dad think they're at Sally's house.

 

[techy1966]

Easy enough and it needs to be baked into the OS itself not just an App. If any tampering to the core system OS and the Apps that allow the parents to keep checks on their kids is even slightly messed with or attempts at spoofing with fake GPS the device sends a text to the parents device and then calls the parents device and the kid can then explain WTH is going on either way time to come home and get grounded if they were also caught doing something they were not supposed to and also either way all of their tech devices gone for a week maybe 2.

I am 100% sure I am more tech savy than my kids when it comes to hardware,Windows & actually knowing how to use the hardware and windows & Android devices. They do most likely know more about all of those Apps on the app stores though.

 

[antilycus]

Parents have been tracking their kids locations for almost a decade. Nothing MS is introducing is "new" to the industry, MS is just dipping their toes into it. This is a win win for MS.

 

[USAFRet]

Then again, kids are almost always more tech-savvy than their parents.

No, not really.
Of my entire extended family, across 2 continents, I am the alpha geek. With my brother a close second, and eldest grandson (13) coming in a distant 3rd.

Just because they can click and use SnapChat, and mom is like...'What's snapchat'...does not make them more "tech savvy"
They are still clueless kids.

As mentioned above, "tech-saturated".

And people thinking these apps are magically benign tools to monitor your kids...No, they're not.
That data WILL escape. Or be sold. Or both.

 

[realacehw]

>If any tampering to the core system OS and the Apps that allow the parents to keep checks on their kids is even slightly messed with or attempts at spoofing with fake GPS the device sends a text to the parents device and then calls the parents device and the kid can then explain WTH is going on either way time to come home and get grounded if they were also caught doing something they were not supposed to and also either way all of their tech devices gone for a week maybe 2.

As a 22 y/o, I remember being a teenager and I remember my dad and step-mom being assholes and being over-bearing, and I'm extremely glad that garbage like this wasn't used on me, and on behalf of the teenagers (and some of the kids) out there who have/had overbearing asshole parent(s), I'd like to say "FUCK YOU!" as loud and as offensively as I can.

People like you need to rethink parenthood and need to rethink how they're living their lives.

What this does is empower parents to be assholes, sometimes even ones that might not otherwise be, in some cases.

It is natural for kids and especially teens to have secrets from their parents.

If any well-meaning parent sees this and still believes it's a good idea, consider this: is having and attempting to exercise this control over your teen or preteen worth having them grow to dispise you and your unfair control over them?

I'd also like to say that respect is earned, not given.
This is not to be confused with politeness, which should be shown til the person proves themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt to be undeserving of your politeness.
Let this be a life lesson: if you want your kids to respect you, respect them (and their privacy) and earn it: being respectable and respectful is a start.

 

[realacehw]

I'd also like to say that trust is a two-way street:
If you don't trust them, how can they trust you?