One in five parents electronically track their child's trip to school: study

Krusty · Feb 7, 2019

Jo Coleman simply loves walking her daughters Alyssa and Jennah to school each morning.

It's one of the highlights of her day, but she knows it can't last forever and soon enough the pair — currently aged seven and eight — will want to make the trip by themselves.

Which raises an increasingly common question: should she use a device to electronically track their trip and keep an eye on them?

"That's a discussion we are already having in our household," Ms Coleman said.

"I just think kids and gadgets, it's a bit too early at the moment … but as they get older that will be something I need to consider.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02...ly-track-their-childs-trip-to-school/10789262

mirimir · Feb 9, 2019

As a child, that would have totally freaked me out. Figuring out how to avoid being tracked would have been a priority.

But hey, Faraday bags. I could probably have figured that out

Krusty · Apr 3, 2019

More parents use GPS to track children but experts warn there could be consequences

A Brisbane mum who developed a GPS tracking watch for children says sales have spiked over the past three years with more parents looking for ways to ensure their child is safe.

Karen Cantwell first developed TicToc Track five years ago when her own child started going to school, finding software like it was largely unavailable at the time.

"When we launched in 2014, we were one of two companies globally that had this type of solution on the market — it was fairly untapped," she said.

"But as technology's improved and I think as people have a greater awareness about these types of devices, just in the last three years alone we've seen a 600 per cent increase in sales of our product.

"I also feel there is a greater awareness of some of the dangers out there so people are looking for a solution. It's a way for parents to have some peace of mind, and allow greater independence and flexibility with their children."

Today, there are several GPS watches and tracking options on the market, and many parents also use smart phones to keep an eye on their children.

Recent research by the Royal Children's Hospital found one in five children who travel to school by themselves, is monitored by their parents through some form of tracking device.

The study also found the concept was a point of tension in many homes, with one in three children not wanting it, and one in five parents reporting their partner disagreed about doing it.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-04/digitally-tracking-kids-more-parents-use-devices/10957906

[...] She said it was most important to have the discussion with the child first, and make sure they feel comfortable using a tracking device.

"You can understand why parents want to do this, I mean I certainly feel that as well, but it's also how you're going to use that with the child, or to talk through how you might introduce that to your child," she said.

"We can't surveil children without their knowledge, because that doesn't build a very trusting relationship."
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bellgamin · Apr 4, 2019

Oh well... I suppose even so much as looking in on your sleeping son or daughter may someday be regarded by some bleeding-heart fringe folks as yet another invasion of privacy.

When a child becomes old enough to worry about such stuff as a GPS, I hope they have been taught, by that time, that the world is NOT fair and that we are all soft little fleshy puffballs living in a universe of sharp pointy objects. That's the way it is -- deal with it!

Anyhow, by the time most kids are age 9 or so, they are fully able to discover & "fool" such locator devices, but will only do so if they have not lovingly been given reasons for living a good & lengthy life.

As for a "trusting relationship," while my kids lived under my roof, they trusted me to keep them safe. And I did.

My elder daughter once expressed a dislike for curfew hours. I told her that if she ever reached a stage in her life when NO one cared when she came home, or even cared less WHETHER she came home, she would be a very very miserable human being. After that discussion, she left the room in a huff. PTL, in a few days she got the point & asked to negotiate a later curfew hour -- successfully, I might add. (^_^)

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Gaggle Knows Everything About Teens And Kids In School

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