Would You Want a GPS Device for Your Child?

babysugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:40 -0700

A friend of mine asked me if I would install a GPS chip in my child if I could. I immediately thought "no." It's a lil too "big brother" for my taste and we've managed alright without one so far.

There would certainly be perks to having such technology like being able to locate children if they went missing. In that sense, it seems like a no brainer. The mysteries of Caylee Anthony and Madeline McCann might already be solved if the girls had such chips. But, I have a hard time believing most parents would use such information on a "need to know" basis. If a teenage girl goes to prom and misses curfew by an hour, her father might be tempted to log on and see where she and her date are spending the evening. In instances like these, I think the chip would hinder a child's ability to flourish as the gift of independence and trust is not entirely granted.

Would you consider implanting a GPS chip into your child's body? Why or why not?
Source

Cell Phones That Keep Parents and Children in Touch

LilSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:10 -0700

Staying connected with your kids now involves technology. While back-to-school shopping means papers, pencils and knapsacks for most lil ones, some parents are also adding mobile phones to the supply list.

Thirty-eight percent of LilSugar readers said their children carry a cell phone with them, while 48 percent said they were against a school ban on the wireless devices. The biggest concerns parents have with the gadgets is that their youngsters will overuse them, talk to inappropriate people and not pay attention to class lessons. Cell phone providers are aware of these issues and have taken several measures to make parents more comfortable with them. Among their latest offerings are:

GPS services on popular wireless provider's plans that allow parents to pinpoint kids' locations at any time. Verizon's Chaperone and Sprint's Family Locator allow parents to track their children from their computers on a password-protected account.
Parental control services, also offered by traditional wireless provider's plans, that give parents the ability to set limits on when and where the phones are used.
Specific wireless networks created expressly for young kids, such as Kajeet and FireFly. Designed for elementary school users, the services offer parental controls on all of their phones, allowing parents to limit who can call the phone and who their kids can call. The systems also offer timers that limit when calls can be made to certain numbers and weekly "allowance" minutes that can be added to (or subtracted from) based on the child's behavior.

Check out some of the devices that house these GPS and parental controls below.

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