Parents Talk: Should You Track Your Kids with GPS?
Phone apps and other GPS devices let parents—or schools—follow a child's every movement.
Is it OK for parents to use GPS devices or phone apps to track their children?
Advice columnist Amy Dickinson told a father this month she adamantly opposes such tracking:
I am completely, totally and utterly opposed to installing tracking or monitoring technology on kids' devices without their knowledge. ... You cannot use technology to mitigate the work (or risks) of parenting. ... You should confirm their whereabouts the old-fashioned way—by getting to know their friends, calling other parents to verify plans, and by driving them from place to place and occasionally showing up early.
But another newspaper columnist wrote this week she found a way around her own initial concerns:
We were initially apprehensive about doing this; we didn’t want them to feel that they were being spied on, or that we don’t trust them. It has, however, given me peace of mind. We are able to pinpoint the exact location of their cell phones at all times. As a mother of two teenagers, I respect their privacy but feel entitled to know their whereabouts.
Another wrinkle: What about schools tracking kids' whereabouts? A judge in Texas has told school officials they can't suspend a student who refused to wear an ID embedded with a locator chip. (Student Andrea Hernandez and her parents are suing because they oppose the ID on religious grounds.)
Parents have also sued when school-issued laptops were found to be taking photos without families' knowledge—another form of surveillance. Do schools have the right to use technology to track students in their care?
What do you think? Answer the polls below and leave a comment.