Would You Put a Tracking Device On Your Child? 610
Hugh Pickens writes "In 2007 businessman Russell Thornton lost his 3-year-old son at an amusement park. After a frantic 45-minute search, Thornton found the boy hiding in a play structure, but he was traumatized by the incident. It spurred him to build a device that would help other parents avoid that fate. Even though most statistics show that rates of violent crime against children have declined significantly over the last few decades, and that abductions are extremely rare, KJ Dell'Antonia writes that with the array of new gadgetry like Amber Alert and the Securus eZoom our children need never experience the fears that come with momentary separations, or the satisfaction of weathering them. 'You could argue that those of us who survived our childhoods of being occasionally lost, then found, are in the position of those who think car seats are overkill because they suffered no injury while bouncing around in the back of their uncle's pickup,' writes Dell'Antonia. 'Wouldn't a more powerful sense of security come from knowing your children were capable, and trusting in their ability to reach out for help at the moment when they realize they're not?'"
Re:always with the children (Score:4, Funny)
But if people don't put tracking chips in their kids, they will have to ask them watch over them or heaven forbid: ask them questions!
Re:South Park did it first! (Score:3, Funny)
I'd want one for when the kid becomes a teenager.
Re:A device that helps find lost kids (Score:5, Funny)
That's why you imbed the device into his skin, cover it up with a cheezy tatoo and call it a day. Yeah my toddler has an anchor tattoo, big whoop.
NEVER! (Score:4, Funny)
Track the Parents (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just buy them an iPhone with a strap (Score:5, Funny)
Leaving location services on is a condition of getting to keep the phone.
Makes all kinds of logical sense until:
*) Sorry Dad, I forgot it in (locker, backpack, Jim's Mom's car)
*) Sorry Dad, I didn't have time to charge the battery this morning
*) Sorry Dad, the battery died right after school
*) Sorry Dad, Mary borrowed it to call her mom and she left with it
*) Sorry Dad, the teacher made us turn them off. I forgot to turn it on.
*) Sorry Dad, we're on Sprint, remember? I only have one bar unless I'm under the tower in Tokyo.
Re:South Park did it first! (Score:4, Funny)
I have tracking devices on my children.
The device is made by Apple.
Your iPad is not your child.
Re:I have one on him (Score:2, Funny)
That's ridiculous. I don't believe anyone has cats embedded under their skin.
Re:What are parents so paranoid? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What are parents so paranoid? (Score:5, Funny)
Actually violence against children has been going down for a long time now. But the 24-hour news cycle has made abductions and other horrors seem like a common thing. You're a helluva lot safer as a kid alone in the mall today that you were 20-40 years ago.
Now then now then now then, kids in those days listened to showaddywaddy and have Jim fix it for them.