Big mother is watching the kids
ONE in three prying parents admit to using GPS tracking apps to keep tabs on their kids, and some would go so far as to consider microchipping them with “tech implants”
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
ONE in three prying parents admit to using GPS tracking apps to keep tabs on their kids, and some would go so far as to consider microchipping them with “tech implants”.
A survey of 1000 Australian parents has revealed 40 per cent believe it’s their “parental right” to use Big Brother surveillance technology.
Of parents whose children have a smartphone or smartwatch, 36 per cent use “Find my phone” or other GPS apps to locate them.
A further 33.5 per cent said they would consider tracking them even though they don’t currently do so and 10 per cent had the same attitude towards medically approved tech implants — a chip under the skin to transmit their location and vital signs, according to the Real Insurance survey.
Students’ Star Wars-inspired device to track lost toddlers
Despite not being available or approved, Sydney-based microchip company Chip My Life has been flooded with calls from concerned parents wanting to get their kids the tracker implants.
“I get calls and emails from parents who are worried their child might be at risk of kidnap and ransom or want to keep track of them and make sure they’re safe,” the company’s Shanti Korporaal said.
“We also hear from parents whose kids have an intellectual disability.”
Ms Korporaal has two implants in her hands herself — a near-field communication chip and a radio frequency identification chip — which can be programmed to unlock doors, store personal data or as a substitute for car keys.
Child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said monitoring kids with microchips was “tantamount to tagging a dog”, adding parents must stop treating them like “brainless creatures”.
“They have to understand the greatest protection is in fact what’s between the ears of their children,” he said.
Heathcote mum Michelle Lister keeps tabs on daughter Jasmine using apps — which is fine by the 12-year-old.
“If I get in trouble I know she can find where I am and make sure I’m OK,” she said.