I track my 12-year-old son with an app on his mobile, reveals Martin Freeman’s ex
WITH mobile phones in most teenagers’ pockets, it is easier than ever for anxious parents to check in with their children.
But it appears keeping in touch with calls and texts is not enough for actress Amanda Abbington – who has installed tracking software on her son’s phone.
The 44-year-old, who has two children with ex-partner Martin Freeman, said she was ‘incrementally’ giving eldest child Joe, 12, more freedom.
She said: ‘He’s got a phone but I know where he is – I’ve put an app [a tracker] on it.’
Miss Abbington lives in rural Hampshire with Joe and her daughter Grace, nine. But despite her desire to keep a close eye on her children, she told Radio Times she would never want to live in a gated community. ‘It becomes very Stepford Wives-y,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to be cut off.’
There are a number of apps – many free of charge – which can be used to monitor children’s whereabouts by tracking their phone’s GPS location. However, Pam Cowburn, communications director of the Open Rights Group, told the Guardian: ‘Parents need to teach their children to be independent and to be able to cope with risks and dangers.’
Miss Abbington, who was promoting her upcoming Netflix series Safe, split from Freeman in 2016 after 16 years together. She described it at the time as ‘entirely amicable’.