Victorian parents fork out $178m on back to school phones

Worried Victorian parents are turning to apps to track their children’s location amid heightened safety concerns as the school year returns.

About half Victorian parents surveyed said they had recently purchased or were planning to buy new phones for their children.

Victorian parents are forking out $178m on new or upgraded mobile phones to ensure the safety of their children as they head back to school.

Last month, 46 per cent of parents had recently purchased or were planning to buy new phones for their children despite 65 per cent saying mobile expenses were causing financial stress.

New data from Life360 revealed devices were becoming the safety equivalent of a comfortable pair of school shoes.

The top reasons for the purchases included reaching kids quickly in emergencies, facilitating communication with family and accessing location-sharing technology.

Jenny Hale told the Herald Sun her children each had a mobile phone for safety precautions.

The Kingsbury mother-of-two said she used the device to track her neurodivergent son when he went missing for five hours on the way to school.

Jenny Hale uses apps to track her son to ensure his safety. Picture: Supplied

“He got on the bus to go to school and didn’t get off, he vanished into thin air,” she said.

“No one saw him, no one knew where he was.

“It was terrifying, I was thinking of Daniel Morcombe and William Tyrrell. The longer your child is missing, the worse the panic becomes.”

Ms Hale said she was able to track her son through the phone.

“His phone had gone flat but we had his last known location,” she said.

“When he recharged his phone at McDonald’s, we were able to ping him straight away.”

The research showed families were allocating 40 per cent of their budgets to buy the phones with many adjusting their spending habits to make it possible.

Psychologist and teen expert Collett Smart said apps were becoming “modern safety nets” for families.

“Managing the balance between fostering independence in a new school year and keeping kids safe can feel complicated for parents – and increasingly the nuanced conversation around the dos and don’ts of managing kids’ phone use is sitting at the centre of this juggle,” she said.

“This year, despite the strain on family budgets, the survey suggests parents are set on providing their child with a phone, with location-sharing playing a key part of this peace-of-mind driven decision.”

Originally published as Victorian parents fork out $178m on back to school phones