Our children are growing up in an amazing, incredible, awe inspiring age.  It is easy to take for granted the phenomenal, science fiction-esque, fantasy world they (and we) now live in.  A world where they can instantly communicate with any of their family or friends anywhere on the planet, any time they want, for pennies, from a device they carry with them in their pockets.  A world where any imaginable bit of information – history, science, art, quotations, directions, explanations, spelling, grammar, even Grandma, is literally just a few keystrokes and an internet connection away.  Despite the many daily reminders of harsh times and worries over the economy, the climate, the wars and civil unrest, and countless other bits of “life” that vie for both our attention and our depression, we truly are blessed to live in a golden age of technology.  An age where real technology has lived up to the imagination and creativity of the dreamers and visionaries of our past.  What would Jules Verne think if he were alive today to see so many of his fantasies of fiction actually in widespread practical use?

THE TROUBLE WITH TECHNOLOGY

All this awesome technology also can come with tremendous responsibility, and as my own kids follow in the footsteps of my rabid gadget geekiness, one of my real challenges as a parent is to instill in them an understanding of the POWER of the technology they often do take for granted.  The tools we have today are so capable and so easy to use and have such broad reach that it is simpler than ever to “take something too far” and, even unintentionally, do something bad.  As parents, more than ever we have to work on instilling a sense of what is right, and what is good and proper behavior because the technology our kids have easy access to can take bad behavior and put it on steroids!  Case in point: Phone Spoofing.

WHO YA GONNA CALL???

As someone in the mobile entertainment business, I have custom ringtones and images on my phone for everyone who calls me regularly.  When my phone went off with the ringtone I have set for my girlfriend, and her number and picture appeared on my phone’s screen, I answered with a “term of endearment” reserved for just her.  Instead of her sweet voice, on the other end of the line I heard giggling and one of my sons’ voice attempting a high-pitched impersonation of her.  You see, my sons have iPhones and just discovered “Jail-breaking.”  While Jail-breaking gave them access to some welcome capabilities on their older iPhones such as video recording, it also gave them access to a pretty sophisticated “phone spoofing” app that lets them place a call as if it is coming from virtually any other phone number.  I laughed when they revealed themselves as my girlfriend, and again when they called my father from my mother’s cell phone.  Then I paused the laughter when I realized how easy it would be to seriously abuse such a capability.  I sat my sons down and rattled off ways this “spoofing” thing could get them into REAL trouble.  In my family we are pranksters at heart, so I didn’t go so far as to force them to delete it, but I did strongly caution them to be very, very thoughtful and careful in how, when and on whom they use the “spoof” app.  I am hoping the novelty of it will wear off very quickly.

What do you think?  Would you allow your kids to keep the spoofing application?  Have you had other challenges with warning your kids about the power of technology?  What other technologies do you fear can be easily abused by your kids and/or get them into trouble unintentionally?  Please share your own thoughts and experiences in the comments.  Oh, and if your kids do have the spoofing app, make sure it really is your significant other on the line before you go all lovey dovey on them!

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 21, Ethan, 19 and Olivia, 17).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.

Photo Credit: © julien tromeur – Fotolia.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• Spying tools come to iPhone, legality dubious (digital.venturebeat.com)