Tracking our kids with technology
Parents can’t keep an eye on their children constantly. But there are some apps that can help with this.
IT IS an unfortunate reality of the world we live in today that our children are no longer safe to wander around without close supervision.
In light of recent events, we’ve gathered together a number of apps that may help to keep your kids just a little safer.
While these apps are certainly not a substitute for diligence and close supervision, they at least will be another extra layer of protection for your kids.
Of course, the thing about using these apps is that it is presumed our kids have smartphones and carry them wherever they go. However, there are other methods, such as devices that use GPS (global positioning system) and RF (radio frequency) to keep track of the children (see sidebar). All the apps listed below are free.
My Distress (iOS/Android/ BlackBerry)
THE most basic “panic” app and the official app from our Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), this one enables the child to send an SOS directly to the police, sending them an alert and his GPS location.
The app is basic but the parents can upload a photo of the child, so that the PDRM will be able to recognise the kid when they mobilise, and the family’s address.
Unfortunately, the coverage for this service is in Selangor only for now and it does need the child to tap on the SOS button when in trouble, which might not be an option if an incident, such as a kidnapping, happens suddenly.
Find My Friends (iOS)
HERE is an app from iPhone maker Apple Inc. While meant to be a friend finder, it can be used to keep track of where your children or other family members are at any given time.
The application tracks best on iPhones although it can also be used to track people using their iPads (although with less accuracy) and allows the users to see each others’ location on a map.
The advantage of Find My Friends is that while it requires the app to be installed on the iOS device of the kid and the parent (and requires that both parties accept the tracking option), once that’s done there is no other interaction required from the child.
Parents can simply launch the app and immediately see the location of the child wherever they are — an accurate location will be available if the child is within GPS range, while a less accurate but still useful position is given using cell tower location if the child is indoors, away from GPS signals.There is also a very useful geofence feature where parents can be alerted on their smartphone when their child has moved away from a particular location.
Footprints (iOS)
THIS one uses both GPS and cellular signal strength to determine a person’s position so it even works indoors (although not as accurately as it could be if the person was outdoors under the GPS satellites).
One of the most interesting features in Footprints is a very extensive alert system where you can set several geofences around specific areas that your child is in, and get an alert whenever your child leaves those areas.
This geofence diameter can be customised and you can set anything from a 100m to 1km radius. Should your child cross this virtual boundary, you receive an alert.
You can even set a speed alert, for such circumstances as when your teenager is driving and you want to know the instant he goes past your predefined speed limit.
There are various settings in the app to adjust frequency of location reporting, to either extend battery life or to increase location accuracy.
Footprints can keep an extensive history of your child’s movements, which may be important when you need to scrutinise their exact movements.
Overall, Footprints works very well and while the app itself is free, there is a US$3.99 (RM12) annual subscription for the service, but it’s a small price to pay for the features available.
Life 360 (iOS/Android/BlackBerry)
THIS is a more general type of app which has many of the features of Footprints and few more.
It is intended to be a way for family members to keep track of each other and to interact because it also comes with a chat function.
Life 360 also has a pretty powerful geofence setting, where you can set several geofences around specific areas such as at school or home. The app will alert you when the person either comes into or leaves that location, e.g. when the child reaches school from home, or gets home after school.
The big advantage of Life 360 is its cross-platform capability and that it works on a variety of modern smartphones.