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I was mortified when I heard of 'surprise phone checks': parents have their child walk them through every single piece of content and app on the phone. I know

I was mortified when I heard of 'surprise phone checks': parents have their child walk them through every single piece of content and app on the phone. I know someone who found that their 12 year old daughter had found a much older out-of-state admirer who was going to drive out to pick her up. She had been sending explicit pictures of herself. She no longer has a smartphone. As a child, I would not have responded well to this invasion of my privacy. Perhaps if the electronics are given to them with no expectation, it would not be as bad. It would also help prepare them for our future totalitarian regime. PS: Any parents reading this, the app in question was Kik, noted for its prevalence of pedophiles, but there are certainly alternatives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kik_Messenger#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kik_Messenger#Controversy

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
My kid sister and all her friends use Kik. I've had a blunt conversation with her about technology in general, but she is probably the only one in her peer group who has had such a conversation. That said, the 'controversy' section is an interview with two people. I could say the same about any app being used by children; if you know how to manipulate people and children use it, you can find children seeking validation that will do just about anything for it. Is there any actual reason that Kik is worse than normal technology?
- abandonliberty 11y ago
  To be fair: two separate interviews with pedophiles, 5 separate news reports including police warnings, and my personal experience with it. We're in agreement though - this can happen on any platform, and we essentially only have anecdotal evidence that it may be worse on Kik, but it's definitely one of the apps I would check with an at-risk youth. It's easy to lose track of all the newfangled apps kids are using these days. Your approach is ideal with a child you can have an open dialog with.
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    >It's easy to lose track of all the newfangled apps kids are using these days. I dare say it is impossible to not lose track. Even I, far more connected in the IT world than the average adult, often lose track. The average parent has no hope. And what is the alternative: preventing your child from using the internet? As far as checking the apps, that works when the child is being careless; but many apps offer you ways to delete conversations and hide contacts. >Your approach is ideal with a child you can have an open dialog with. It is also quite rare, and when it does happen it is far later than it should be. Too many parents are willing to give their 9 year old a smartphone but are too embarrassed to even discuss the most basic sex related topics. Covering topics like porn, sexting, and predators isn't even a possibility. Even in my case, I have to discuss it because our parents aren't willing to.
patcheudor 11y ago
Honestly, this sounds like the South Korean governments version of Superfish: "Parents will be able to to see what their kids are up to online and block access to "undesirable" sites." Given any number of browsers could be installed on the phone, I'm thinking there's a high likelihood this could be a proxy based solution since that would be the simplest approach. While such approaches to nanny guards aren't necessarily inherently broken, there are some real-world difficulties that make the design and implementation hard to secure. I hope they had a really good security review.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago

My kid sister and all her friends use Kik. I've had a blunt conversation with her about technology in general, but she is probably the only one in her peer group who has had such a conversation. That said, the 'controversy' section is an interview with two people. I could say the same about any app being used by children; if you know how to manipulate people and children use it, you can find children seeking validation that will do just about anything for it. Is there any actual reason that Kik is worse than normal technology?

abandonliberty 11y ago
To be fair: two separate interviews with pedophiles, 5 separate news reports including police warnings, and my personal experience with it. We're in agreement though - this can happen on any platform, and we essentially only have anecdotal evidence that it may be worse on Kik, but it's definitely one of the apps I would check with an at-risk youth. It's easy to lose track of all the newfangled apps kids are using these days. Your approach is ideal with a child you can have an open dialog with.
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  >It's easy to lose track of all the newfangled apps kids are using these days. I dare say it is impossible to not lose track. Even I, far more connected in the IT world than the average adult, often lose track. The average parent has no hope. And what is the alternative: preventing your child from using the internet? As far as checking the apps, that works when the child is being careless; but many apps offer you ways to delete conversations and hide contacts. >Your approach is ideal with a child you can have an open dialog with. It is also quite rare, and when it does happen it is far later than it should be. Too many parents are willing to give their 9 year old a smartphone but are too embarrassed to even discuss the most basic sex related topics. Covering topics like porn, sexting, and predators isn't even a possibility. Even in my case, I have to discuss it because our parents aren't willing to.

patcheudor 11y ago

Honestly, this sounds like the South Korean governments version of Superfish: "Parents will be able to to see what their kids are up to online and block access to "undesirable" sites." Given any number of browsers could be installed on the phone, I'm thinking there's a high likelihood this could be a proxy based solution since that would be the simplest approach. While such approaches to nanny guards aren't necessarily inherently broken, there are some real-world difficulties that make the design and implementation hard to secure. I hope they had a really good security review.