Watching Kids Via Mobile Phone

Joe the Lesser writes "This BBC article says how parents could soon keep a much closer eye on what children are up to on their way to and from school thanks to a mobile monitoring system. It will send text alerts to their mobile phone if the child deviates too far from that route or takes too long getting there."

Comments

This worries me

[ObviousGuy]

It's a very small step from branding kids with these tracking units to implanting tracking units in every citizen. Though such a move would no doubt improve the ability of the police to track down criminals, I worry that it could be used in such a way to discriminate against certain groups.

This is a bad usage of this kind of technology.

Just like to find my car

[Anonymous Coward]

And the guy that stole it so I could beat him to within inches of his life, let him recover, then beat him all over again.

Didn't steal my car yet, just want to be ready.

I don't want to pay Lojack a wooden nickle. I want to put something in my car, then be able to home in on it on my own without paying any ridiculous fees, or alerting anyone that I'm about to beat someone senseless.

The Economist

[Anonymous Coward]

The Economist, 17 August, 2002, an article called "Something to watch over you".

Some really scary stuff in there... for example, quoting directly from the article:

"Next month Wherify, of Redwood Shores, California, plans to start selling a lockable bracelet designed, it says, for children up to the age of 12. This will allow a child's parents to use the web to see a recent satellite photograph of their offspring's location. Parents will also be able to track their child's recent movements, and set up an alert system so that they will know if he does not turn up somewhere he is expected"

There's also a few paragraphs about a company called Advanced Digital Solutions:
"there is now the prospect that parts of tracking devices could be inplanted in the body. Indeed, ADS already produces a device the size of a grain of rice that can be inserted beneath the skin, and nine volunteers are trying it out."

GPS

[Mossfoot]

Why not just attatch a GPS tracking system into them or something? Then when your daughter turns 16 and you're worried about young Billy going to second base with her you can make sure they really are going to the library and not MakeOut-Point. Maybe it can set off a proximity alert if his hands get to close to her bra?

Remember, folks, Big Brother begins at home ;)

Re:Whatever

[mbogosian]

What an excellent way to help young people become successfully integrated into society (formerly discussed here). Of course, if the Bush administration has its way, then this really will help...the kids will be more accustomed to destructively invasive surveillance than their parents; they'll be all ready for this brave new world....

Re:children's rights?

[Fulcrum of Evil]

If your parents don't trust you at 16, I would say it has something to do with you, not them.

I would dispute that, as I know a couple of parents who have serious control issues. That said, it doesn't matter who's to blame: this 'kid' is going to be an adult in 2 years and he needs to get some freedom and responsibility whether he can handle it or not. Better to screw up royally while still a minor than wait til you're legally an adult.

Re:Whatever

[chrisseaton]

Picture phones:

"Let mummy see your face"

Little kids *not* at much risk of abduction

[Goonie]

This American study seems to suggest that a) abductions by strangers are rare, and b) teenagers are much more likely to be abducted than younger children.

Psychological Repercussions

[starsong]

This may be OT, but think of how this kind of thing, misapplied (and it *will* be misapplied, as all technology eventually is) could affect a kid.

Picture a child, who...

• never cuts class
• is never late
• always goes where he's supposed to
• always says "please" and "thank you"
• never gets in with the "wrong crowd"
• never gets into fights
• never watches TV until his homework's done
• never watches violent movies or TV
• never looks at porn or "inapproprite content" online
• always has dinner with his parents
• has the "right" friends, made at soccer practice and trombone lessons and nature camp and Sunday school and community service weekends and every other Very Important Character-Building Activity

Was this you when you were young? Would you really be a better person if you had done these things? Would you be happier? My vote is NO, as I spent all of high school doing most of these things and was ready to kill myself freshman year of college, when I was given an ID card, a room key and told to fend for myself.

My mind drifts to Jonbenet Ramsey as I wonder why American parents have such sterilized, plastic-molded ideals for their children.

If this bothers you, you're too old

[Animats]

Now and then, I ask some of the teenagers around what gadgets they like and don't like, and what they think of some stuff coming along. (These are well-off kids in Silicon Valley; your mileage may vary.)

They seem unbothered by monitoring. They just assume that everything is recorded somewhere, and that's the way things work. They'd like to be able to track their friends via their cellphones. They spend a lot of time updating each other on where they are, and think it would be easier if they didn't have to call to ask.

This gives you a sense of where things are going. Location as a public record.