It is difficult not to thank the internet for bringing about such radical changes in our lives. While the good people thank the internet for their own reasons, the stalkers and trolls thank the ‘Infosphere’ for completely different reasons. Again, different people use this skill for different agendas and parents use it to monitor their kids' activities. Much debate has surrounded internet stalking, especially when carried out by parents. In a recent incident a young girl sued her parents for excessive stalking and won the case. It is therefore important to closely look at this trend and decide if it is a form of abuse or an acceptable approach. So, how do parents spy on their teenagers? 

Here, there and everywhere

A very recent case that concluded in fireworks involved a 21-year-old student, named Aubrey Ireland, who has successfully obtained a civil stalking restraining order against her parents. She said that her parents made aggressive attempts to control every aspect of her life.

The situation turned worse when Aubrey’s parents installed some monitoring software on her computer and phone. The girl was also irritated by her parents’ habit of paying unannounced visits to her, and travelled 600 miles from their home in Kansas to meet their daughter’s department head.

Aubrey alleged that her mother was “overly involved” in her life, saying that she had to get on Skype all the time to keep them updated about her whereabouts. She added that she was even required to leave her Skype on all night so her mother could watch her go to sleep (talk about creepy).

On the other hand, Aubrey’s parents accused her of promiscuity, using drugs, and having mental illnesses.

The other side of the story

Psychologists strongly believe that setting boundaries can be a tricky affair for parents of college going kids. Spying on your kids can become a messy affair if you get caught.

It is only natural for parents to feel concerned about their children at all times. But stalking is still not the appropriate way for resourceful adults to adopt, which might also have a negative impact on their kids. Parents are usually relieved from their responsibilities when their kids reach adulthood. If the child suffers from some mental illness then the parents are responsible for him/her as long as it takes.