Are they suffocating? Almost half of parents monitor their children’s location using GPS tracking. Some say it is a grotesque invasion of privacy, but others say you can never be too prepared.
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Row over 'invasive' tracking apps
Are they suffocating? Almost half of parents monitor their children's location using GPS tracking. Some say it is a grotesque invasion of privacy, but others say you can never be too prepared.
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For 17-year-old Macy, it was a terrifying ordeal. Driving home one day, her car skidded on wet asphalt and plummeted eight metres down a wooded embankment. She spent seven hours fearing that she would never be saved.
Her mother was at her wits' end before she remembered that she and Macy had agreed to share their locations on a mobile phone app, and within a short time, Macy was rescued from the wreck.
Location tracking apps have exploded in popularity over the past decade, appealing particularly to anxious parents. A survey from 2019 showed that 40% of parents and guardians in the UK were using some kind of GPS tracking on a daily basis.
Knowing where your child is at all times has become normal.
But not everyone is convinced. Some say it violatesFails to comply with, or follow, rules. a child's right to privacy and damages trust. Others worry it reduces young people's independence.
Some believe location apps are the first step towards more serious forms of surveillanceThe monitoring of behaviour, activities, or information for the purpose of influencing, managing or directing. The Chinese app is designed to stop people going into public places, especially if they are supposed to be in quarantine.. Parents can remotely activate the microphone on their child's phone or scan their messages.
Giving your child's location data to apps presents its own dangers. Private companies can track your child's every move from infancy and sell their findings. Mobile location vendors make millions selling our "private" information.
Are they suffocating?
Yes! Children have a right to privacy, even when they are very young. Parents need to learn to take a more hands-off approach.
No! It is natural for parents to want to protect their children. Who can blame them for using tracking apps?
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Keywords
Violates - Fails to comply with, or follow, rules.
Surveillance - The monitoring of behaviour, activities, or information for the purpose of influencing, managing or directing. The Chinese app is designed to stop people going into public places, especially if they are supposed to be in quarantine.
Row over ‘invasive’ tracking apps
Frustration: Parents are driven mad when children fail to answer their phones or tell them where they are. But tracking family members via location apps can be problematic for a number of reasons. Glossary
Violates - Fails to comply with, or follow, rules.
Surveillance - The monitoring of behaviour, activities, or information for the purpose of influencing, managing or directing. The Chinese app is designed to stop people going into public places, especially if they are supposed to be in quarantine.