(Source:
ZDNet) This morning, [we] received e-mail pitches about a new piece of software called WebWatcher, which is being touted as “the first remote monitoring tool for parents to be able to fully monitor their kids’ social networking activity.” In a nutshell, it’s spy-on-your-kids software. Concerned parents install it on the computer and then watch remotely as the kids interact on Facebook, Twitter and other sites to make sure that their behavior is appropriate and that they’re not being bullied or preyed upon. In concept, it sounds like a good idea - just like it did when these sorts of products hit the scene in the late 90s as a way of tracking kids’ web surfing and IM behavior. The problem is that today, just like back then, these sorts of products do little to address real-world scenarios and, quite frankly, become a substitute for a parent actually doing some parenting.>
