It is every parent’s worst nightmare, but a look at the news reveals the frightening reality that children go missing every day. It’s enough to make concerned parents want to lock their doors to keep their children constantly in sight. This type of parental monitoring, however, is not what would be best for the social development of their kids. So, the question becomes how do we take steps toward child safety even when we can’t be with them?
Of course, there is no miracle product that can do a parent’s job for them, but advances in technology are making it easier to have a certain measure of parental control without having to physically follow your children everywhere that they go. Devices that are very similar to a pager or a kid’s phone make it possible to find a child by logging onto a computer or receiving a text message on your phone.
It should be remembered that many of the missing children have been taken by a parent or someone else that they know. This form of parental monitoring is great for those dealing with custody issues or other at risk situations. GPS can track the location of a child, and you can be alerted if the child leaves a predetermined area.
This really is an excellent breakthrough in child safety. Doubling as a kid’s phone, such devices not only make it easier to find a child, but parents can communicate with their children through bi-directional calling. Kids get a kick out of something that seems like it is right out of a spy movie, and parents get the peace of mind of the easy-to-set-up parental control.
Many of these devices even come with a button that children can press in case of emergencies that send out a notification to parents and to the authorities. This increases the chances that you will find a child quickly and unharmed. This is the ultimate goal.
Technology allows us to bring parental monitoring to a new level. While some might think such practices are controversial, most parents are willing to do whatever they can to prevent their children from becoming another of the sad stories we hear about all too often in the news.


