Students, teachers weigh in on privacy

Most people would agree that everyone deserves some level of privacy, but the amount of privacy that parents allow their teenagers to have can cause conflict between the two.

Naturally, many parents and guardians will want to know every little detail about their child’s lives. They may go through their kids’ belongings, read their diary, read their text messages or monitor their teens’ social media. This can cause conflict because it can make the teenager feel like their parents don’t trust them or like their privacy is being invaded. Teens may not want their parents to know all of their feelings, or they may have things that they are not comfortable talking about yet.

How much privacy should teenagers have from their parents or guardians, and are there certain circumstances when a parent should pry into their child’s personal life? Students and teachers from Jonesboro High School were interviewed about this topic.

When asked “Should parents/guardians go through their teen’s phone?” only 5.8 percent out of 52 JHS students surveyed answered yes. Many students stated that their phones are private, and that their parents should not look through them unless they have a very good reason.

The teachers who were interviewed about this subject had some of the same opinions as the students.

“I think that as long as teenagers are doing everything that is expected of them, then they deserve privacy and respect.” Drama teacher Melissa Burris stated.

When asked whether parents should read their teenager’s diaries or journals, Spanish teacher  Jennifer Smith said “Most kids don’t really have diaries or journals anymore, but, yes, kids should be allowed to write their thoughts without parents reading them.”

While these teachers agree that teenagers should have some level of privacy, they both also believe that it should be taken away if there is a valid reason.

“Let’s say my child is breaking curfew every time he or she goes out, and not explaining why they were late or where they were at,” Burris said. “I may add a tracker to their phone to be able to keep up with them.”

This would be a reason for a parent to more closely monitor their child. Another reason that both women brought up is suicide, which is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

“With teenage suicide, self-harm, and bullying occurring more often nowadays,  parents must be ‘nosy’ and look at the teenager’s phone.” Smith added. “I can handle if my teenager is angry with me for looking at his/her phone, but I would be devastated if something tragic happened and I could have prevented it by invading privacy.”

Burris agreed.

“I think that if parents are concerned about their child’s well-being it is our duty as parents to find out everything we can about what is wrong with them.” Burris said.

Smith and Burris agree that if a parent believes there is a serious issue with their child then it is justifiable to be “nosy” or invade privacy.

“I would never go into my child’s phone or personal belongings unless I felt it was necessary, but I can promise you I would not hesitate to do it If I felt like I needed to,” Burris said.