To protect children, a police chief in New Jersey wants parents to install spyware software on their home computers that will record their every keystroke.
Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli says teenagers are locking their moms and dads out of their "virtual rooms" everyday, and parents need to open the door to see what's going on.
Batelli is particularly worried about inappropriate photos and child predators on social networks like Facebook. He is raising a teenage daughter of his own.
“When it comes down to safety and welfare of your child, I don’t think any parent would sacrifice anything to make sure nothing happens to their children." Batelli said. "If it means buying an $80 package of software and putting it on and seeing some inappropriate words you don’t want your child to say. Then that’s part of society.”
Some parents worry about invading their children's privacy, and some don't think such measures are necessary.
But Batelli says young teens and “tweens” may need even more monitoring than older adolescents.
“I think if a 12-year-old has a Facebook profile her mom and dad need to have access to it.”
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