The Internet, Children, and Privacy: The Case Against Parental Monitoring

Abstract

It has been recommended that parents monitor their children’s Internet use, including what sites they visit, what messages they receive, and what they post. In this paper, I argue that parents ought not follow this advice, because to do so would violate a child’s right to privacy over their on-line information exchanges. In defense of this claim, I argue that children have a right to privacy from their parents, because it respects their current capacities and fosters their future capacities for autonomy and relationships.

Keywords: information ethics, children's rights, right to privacy, Internet, paternalism