GPS Tracking Watch for Kids: Is it Spying or Good Parenting?

1. Johnny Cat
   January 7th, 2009 at 2:48 am

   This makes me miss the 80s, which is no small feat, but damn...we had it good then. If I had kids today, I'd be more along the lines of that lady who had her kid ride the NY subways home. Experience is everything, on both sides, parent and child.

2. clinton labombard
   January 7th, 2009 at 4:29 am

   "GPS Tracking Watch for Kids: Is it Spying or Good Parenting?"

   IT'S BOTH.

3. shadowfirebird
   January 7th, 2009 at 4:37 am

   If the kid is old enough to understand what GPS is, and you turn that alarm off, then it's not spying.

   OTOH if they then leave the thing on, you probably don't need them to wear it.

   Simpler to bug their cellphone, I would have thought...

4. rika
   January 7th, 2009 at 4:44 am

   totally ok for pre-school children.. ONLY

5. slowcar
   January 7th, 2009 at 5:01 am

   it's fashism.

6. Evilbeagle
   January 7th, 2009 at 5:08 am

   Whatever happened to building a relationship based on mutual trust and respect with your children? Oh yeah, this generation of precious hothouse flowers sucks and so do their parents.

7. Sammy
   January 7th, 2009 at 5:55 am

   If its a teenager that has been going other places when they say that they going to school or the mall or something, then sure, wtach them so they dont get in more trouble.
   If its a well behaved teenager without any history of trouble, its creepy

8. Ray
   January 7th, 2009 at 6:43 am

   So just wrap it in tinfoil, then. GPS is easy to block.
   Most cellphones have GPS built in, and there are companies that will track them for a fee. Google gps cell phone tracking. No need for a watch.

9. Jae
   January 7th, 2009 at 7:07 am

   "It’s 10 PM. Do you know where your children are?"

   No, but she's 8 months old so she can't have gotten far...

10. SenorMysterioso
    January 7th, 2009 at 7:44 am

    I think this is a good idea for young children. More of an "in case of kidnapping" scenario than a "what's Billy up to" one. One of those things you hope you never have to use. If your kid is supposed to be home by the time the street lights come on and he's an hour late and not answering the phone, time to fire up the ol' GPS.

11. Dale
    January 7th, 2009 at 7:49 am

    Could be given as a gift to suspected cheating spouses - as long as it doesn't have GPS TRACKING WATCH written on it in big lettering.

12. Mr. Jones
    January 7th, 2009 at 7:54 am

    Maybe it's asking too much for parents to do their job and keep tabs on their kids without using satellites.

    This is where it starts, folks. We're raising a generation of bagged-and-tagged children, who are being conditioned to be constantly monitored. Pretty soon it won't be a "big deal" to extend this monitoring to law-abiding adults.

13. Idil
    January 7th, 2009 at 8:16 am

    Ew

14. silverbee
    January 7th, 2009 at 8:52 am

    I think it's fine as long as it's used as a backup plan and not a replacement for knowing where your kids are anyway. It could be great for amusement parks or other crowded places where kids can take off in an instant, but should not be used as an excuse to be lazy and not watch your kids.

15. Rocky Rook
    January 7th, 2009 at 9:32 am

    I would be all for something like this or even an implant for my kids until they turned 12 or 13. But I don't think I'd spy on them. I'd use it for the dreadful case of kidnapping.

16. Skipweasel
    January 7th, 2009 at 10:25 am

    How many kids actually get kidnapped? Ours would talk the ears off any villain - they'd be pleading to be allowed to give them back.

17. Ashley
    January 7th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    I agree with Senor and Silverbee. This seems like a gret way to ensure your kids safety when they are not with you (ie: at tee ball) or when they could easily get lost (ie: a theme park). Not a replacement for parenting, but definitely would give peace of mind.

18. Travis Tubbs
    January 7th, 2009 at 11:41 am

    Another GPS device aimed at monitoring your children. As always, this is one of those it can be good and bad situations.

    For younger children, I don't see the harm. It's an extra safety measure just in case anything bad were to happen. As children get older, then this could become an issue of privacy. It's an issue of balancing the good and bad. I would have my child wear it, but would not monitor their every move. It would be used for its safety factor in the event I don't hear from my child after an extended amount of time (after attempts of contacting him/her and checking with other parents, of course).

    Besides, we all know we secretly bug our teenager's car with a GPS tracking device.

19. Jackie
    January 7th, 2009 at 11:45 am

    Urk, this is disgusting. Cut the umbilical cord already!

20. Monkey_Town
    January 7th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Like the above posters, I think this is great for young kids, especially in places where the two of you could be separated.

    But when they're older, not so much.

21. robb
    January 7th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    haaa if my mom ever gave me this and told me to put it on, id laugh in her face. seriously this is stupid. i can understand for small children but once that kid reaches the age where he or she knows better, that watch is going down the toilet. or beaten with a hammer.

22. johzephine
    January 7th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    spying.

23. JeffB
    January 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    Some of best times as a child were spent just wandering and asserting, in small ways, my independence from my parents. This is an important part of growing up, and today's helicopter parents aren't doing their kids any favors by planning/tracking their every move.

24. AJ
    January 7th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Such a device would give me peace of mind with regard to child abductions, although I'd use a different one that attaches to a shoe so it's less obvious. An alarming watch would simply get smashed with a hammer.

    If used to track an untrusted teenager, well, you've failed as a parent.

25. Scooter
    January 7th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

    Such a device would give me piece of mind if I had it on my Motor Scooter. While at work i can check it and know it's still in the parking lot, and if stolen I could just go a get it back. The question would be that of COST. I'm sure the watch is expensive and there is a monthly service fee or something.

26. Staxeon
    January 7th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    Start the clock: how long before we're reading about a spouse that uses one of these things to spy on the location of the other?

27. Easy
    January 7th, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    A friend of a friend was once paranoid that is girlfriend was having an affair with someone. He found a website that would track your mobile phone on a map. The only problem was, the owner of the phone needed to give permission to the website to track it before it would work.

    So the guy bought a cheap pre-paid mobile phone, signed it up to the tracking service, and hid it in her car.

    Not sure what he found out but top marks for thinking I reckon.

28. ted
    January 7th, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    Skipweasel. They wouldn't be talking much if they were bound and gagged, or maybe dead. If someone's gonna kidnap a kid, it's probably not going to end up pretty.

    This watch looks more like house arrest rather than something innocuous.

29. Anon
    January 8th, 2009 at 2:04 am

    Hmm... so an alarm is triggered when the watch is removed by force?

    OK... SO if you're a kid and you think the whole GPS watch thing sucks... why not just get in trouble for taking it off over and over. Your parents will then realize they can't control you in such a way.
    I'd rather get in trouble for taking off the watch, than getting caught somewhere I shouldn't be.

30. alice
    January 8th, 2009 at 9:49 am

    I was given independance throughout my life, my room was my own, anything private was nothing to do with my parents. My parents were totally shocked when I told them a friends' parents had read her diary.

    I think giving me my freedom was the best gift they could give me. Knowing I would make my own mistakes taught me to be careful, knowing I could always go back to them, however, if it got too bad made me feel safe.

    This is just teaching kids that not only do their parents not trust them, but they cannot make their own experiences.

31. ElMeanYo
    January 8th, 2009 at 10:46 am

    If you are a teenager and you want privacy, get a job and move out. If you are enjoying free rent at your parents house then you have no basis on which to complain. Nuff said.

32. Epicanis
    January 8th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    Too bad it's probably grossly overpriced - I find myself thinking "NUTS to the children, can I use this on myself (on purpose, obviously) for recording GPS tracks when I wander around?"

33. Jacki
    January 8th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    How much is this different from a house arrest anklet?
    At least it tells time.

34. gibson8or
    January 8th, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    From the design and apparent size, it looks like it's intended for young children. Some kids, no matter how good the parents are, tend to wander away or bolt after things. It can be scarily easy to lose kids in a crowded place. The host of 'America's Most Wanted' had his little boy kidnapped from a mall and murdered- back in the 80's some of you are nostalgic for.

35. fopguy
    January 13th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    Its not spying, when its your kids. My kids are my responsibility until they grow up and move out of the house.

    I'm thinking about something like this for my 9 & 5YO who will be walking home from school starting next year.

    As far as those looking to track their deviant teenagers, your probably too late and should have raised them differently...

36. waltermom
    August 14th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    My son 7 year old son disappeared on a hike in the mountains. It took over two hours to find him - thankfully, alive. People, especially those who don't even have children, who criticize parents for wanting to know where there children are will have absolutely no idea what it is like for a parent whose child has disappeared. Go through that once and see what you think.

37. bumble
    August 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    All of the folks that think this is a bad idea for invasion of privacy, etc... concerns, have never lost a kid for over an hour despite being super vigilante on an incredibly crowded beach. I can tell, you, the worst hour of my life. Best moment of my life -- a lifeguard pointing to me and whistling, letting me know that my child was found. It took in this case, 5 seconds and disorientation on a very busy beach. I would never want another parent to feel the way that I did, EVER!

38. bumble
    August 23rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    waltermom, you couldn't be more correct. I would hope that we can make the case that you don't have to live through that hell to see the benefit of this product.

39. Kathe
    August 24th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    I am looking into getting this for my 7 year old. It is definetly not a trust or privacy issue. In my experience there are many parents concerned about child abductions. So for the person who said how often does it happen... GOOGLE it!! Parents 'abduct' and kidnap their own children when they are in custody disputes. You will be overwhelmingly surprised at what parents will do to keep the children from being taken away from them.

    To AJ... this device will alert you if someone takes it off and you have not authorized it. AND let me think... the last time I checked people will take off shoes. So if the child takes off the shoes and switches into flip flops... kinda defeats the purpose of locating the child.

    Ted ... Again, Most child abductions occur by people that know you and the child... so not always leading to the worst case scenario. If its a stranger that abducts its usually its for monetary gains. Which would be awful in and of itself... but they are not generally abducting for the sake of physically killing.

    Waltermom and bumble... I am absolutely with you both... I lost my child in Walmart... 'Code yellow ... 3 year old, red shirt, blue shorts...' the worst thing I heard coming over a loudspeaker. Kudos to Walmart for the system of blocking all exits and having all on the salespeople on the floor and cash
    looking for her. It was so scarey... She on the other hand was hiding in the clothes rack with 'poncho shirts' hanging on them - as happy as can be for playing the hide-and-go seek!!!

    The watch is unsuspeccting to those who are going to take your children - they assume its a kids watch. My main thing is educating my now 7 yr old never to take it off without telling her what it does to make her freak out about the possibility that someone may take her and not ever want to return her...

40. kittys_kat
    October 22nd, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    I think it should be a must for anybody who has a child under 8. You are hopeful you will never be a parent who get's the call your kids been missing/kidnapped, but it can happen to anyone, you turn your head or trust someone for a split second, and next thing you know, your child could be gone. I watch my son always, but you still just bever know. I do not think that these things should be used for spying though, but also there are ones that track speed, and I think it would be nice to know how fast a teen is driving when they are alone with friends also. One parent said their child would talk the kidnappers ear off and they would beg to give them back, but lets be realistic... that doesn't happen

41. wilhemena
    December 8th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    ...over the weekend a 7 year old autistic child in Nova Scotia followed the family dog into the woods and could not be located for 48hrs..no jacket, hat or gloves ...it's winter, he was eventually found suffering extreme hypothermia and later died, had he been wearing a gps tracking watch most likely he'd still be alive....

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