A teenager's right to privacy?

no they do not, as long as they are living in YOUR house and they are under age, they are your responsability, therefore YOU need to know what is going on in their lives!!!

It depends on if you are just being nosy or if you have reason to feel their safety is in question. I am guilty of this - ever so often I check my kids text message and myspace. Myspaces is differetn because it can be so revealing - youhave to make sure who they are dealing with.

necessary as long as u do it with good intent

I would say they should have some measure of privacy, but at the same time, parents should have the right to make sure they are being safe online, and that they are not doing things they shouldn't be doing.

My daughter is 11, and has her own email account. I have the password, and she knows it. I told her the only way she gets an account is if I can check up on it. She's asked about MySpace, and I told her no way. She's not old enough for an account to begin with, but I don't want my daughter on there. My 14 year old neice has an account, and I've seen the stuff she posts as bulletins- and she's considered a good kid, but she reposts bulletin forwards about kissing, sex, and drinking. Her mom has an account, though, and sees what she posts- hopefully she's talked about it with her. I'm sure Morgan just thinks it's fun, but I don't want Raegan apart of that.

I sometimes check their accounts. I have found out things thru my other daughter, who is addicted to the net.

So, i do check if their safety is in question.

I think if you have any reason to think there is something wrong with the child, or their behavior...you have the right and obligation to snoop. I did read some of my son's things...because he was doing things I didn't approve of. My daughter never caused a bit of trouble, or bad behavior...I never looked at her diary or myspace page at all except for the couple of times she left it open on my computer.

I don't snope through my teens things. Unless he gives me reason to.
He does have a my space account. But I am on his friends list so I can check it out any time. Now, if he leaves a note in his pockets when I am doing the wash. Than its fair game. Lol.

Hey...my space is open to anyone and kids need to learn that they shouldn't post anything their mom wouldn't want to see. As we've seen in many cases, once it's out there it can't be taken back and it can show up anytime down the road.

I don't have children, but my parents always at the rule "my house, my rules." I don't think they ever went through my stuff but my brother complained all the time about his room checks. He had gotten in trouble with the law and my parents began regular checks.

I don't think there's anything wrong with keep your kids safe, at any cost. But I do think there needs to be a reason to need to snoop. Especially with teenagers they do need some degree of privacy. So if it's just to be nosey I'd say stay curious.
But if there is reason to think that something that shouldn't be going on is. Snoop away!

I give my kids their privacy but they also know that I am not to be blocked from email, myspace accounts, AIM buddy lists, etc. They know that I will come in and look from time to time. MY youngest is 17 and I do go into her room, not usually to inspect but to look for dirty laundry, keys, Netflix dvds that have to be returned, etc. She knows that her room, while hers, is also fair game.

I think that you should let them know that you are not to be locked out and that you, as their parent who is responsible for them, will do a "periodic sweep" of their area, be in their bedroom, their computer access, their myspace or livejournal, etc.

I would not go through my kids things without reason, but, when I had reason, I did it. Trust is a two way street, and if they are not acting trustworthy, then it is my job as their parent to make sure they are not doing anything to hurt themselves or others. If they are going down the wrong road, I need to know about it, because things only get worse if they don't get caught.

yes,,, yes,,, yes,,, in this day of much more trouble then 30 years ago,,, yes, but,,, talk to them,,,

I think its your right. Yes to all.
We have got to help keep our children safe.

Yes!! what does word privacy means for a 10 year old ...they should be checked , and be made aware that they are watched and monitored . Nothing private till you are 18 ..and even after that its ok to intervene if its neccessary

Just because they live in your home does not give you a right to violate their privacy; kisd are not possesions, but people in theor own right. That said, this is what my policy is: IF you (they) give me reason to suspect that something is going on, at that point I will access email (yes, I do have their passwords), read notes or journal, search the rooms, etc...but as long as they are behaving appropriately, not showing other warning signs, etc, then their rooms and jouransl are their own business. I do not allow access to myspace or facebook, nor do I allow them to chat online with anyone. Phone calls have to be made in the living room or kitchen where I can hear them; if it a casual conversation between friends, there is no reason they should feel the need for privacy. The computer is in the living room. The only reason they go into their room with the door closed is to read or have time away from the rest of us, because privacy IS important. I just think if you are an aware parent, you should be able to see red flags and take appropriate steps to interevene; I do think that just because it is your house, your rules, you don't have the right to invade your kids' privacy.

Thank heavens, I don't have to worry about this anymore. I came by to read the replies. We didn't have computers when my kids were little, so I didn't have any problem with that!

I agree it is okay to do so... fouund an email once to our son from a friend who was considering suicide, called to school to report it as I did not know the family or how to get ahold of them. did not want to wait for my son to get home to deal with it cause I did not know the extent of the issue. My son was relieved I dealt with it. We do have the right since it is our computer and if there is a concern about inappropriate websites or other content we need to know to deal with it. I also have read notes in pant pockets or other material that was left out in the open. Not maliciously but if it's there and i see it then it is open for the reading.

I think we have an obligation to keep our children safe. I communicate with my child, and make him aware that I was looking. The children have to provide their passwords for my space in order to use it. I don't look without reason. Mother's intuition tells me something is up, and I am usually right.

i would just check on the once in a while. be honest and upfront about it. let them know that at least one or twice a month i would be doing a check and for what reasons.
It is just part of life that someone will alway check on what they are doing.
as they get older probably check less and less. It is part of letting go and letting them be on there own.

The dangers today are so real and possible I would do it if I felt there was a problem. After the fact the police will look at you and you will just know they are wondering why you didn't know. So yes, I would do it even if it did make me feel bad, and it would I'd love my daughter enough to have her angry with me. Too many of these young teenagers are doing on the computers what they know they shouldn't. Sometimes we have to take a strong protective stand. They don't always see the dangers in what they think might be funny or interesting.

Don't give it a second thought. It can be one of those things where you end up regretting it all your life because the answer to the situation was right at your fingertips. I suggest you keep tabs. This should all be in the spirit of their safety; not curiosity.

Sue ~ That is almost a requirement of being a responsible parent today. Parents can be held legally liable for the actions of their underage teens. On the other hand ...

... Roger made an excellent point. It should be done in the context of protection, not mere snooping. Otherwise you lose the child's respect, which can be just as detrimental.

As long as my parents provided the roof over my head and the food on my table, within reason I expected my privacy to be "invaded."
PAY IT FORWARD

Not sure about the room thing, I hated anyone touching my stuff or reading my diaries. But checking the myspace pages is definitely okay. I don't see this as a sign of distrust especially with how many ways there are for kids to get in trouble online today. I happened to stumble upon my 14 year old nephew's myspace page and was shocked at the way he wrote things there.

I also think it's okay to have access to your child's e-mail or IM too. You can't be too careful. I have already started preparing my 7 year old for that fact. She will not be allowed (when she is old enough) to have an e-mail account without my being able to access it at anytime I choose. And it has nothing to do with trust, only my wanting to keep her safe from online dangers.

I believe teens need a certain amount of privacy and it is important to them, it is a way healthy to show they are growing up. Communication is very important and keeping it intact as they grow up is hard.

My children have myspace accounts and before they were allowed to set them up they were told to give me their passwords as I wanted to ramdomly to check them from time to time and if there was anything that cause an raised eye brow they would lose their accounts.

Room checks can happen if a child is sending red flags.

But to really answer your question; as long as they live in my house and I am responsible for them they give up the right of some of their privacy.

Blessings

Sending a 10 your way!

This is a tough one.

When a teen-age "child" walks out the door, a parent should know where he/she is going, what he/she will be doing, and with whom. When a teen-age "child" closes the door to his/her room and flips on the computer, a parent should know where he/she is going, what he/she will be doing, and with whom.