Opinion: Forget helicopter parenting, drone parenting reaches new heights

Parenting is never easy but many seem to be falling into a trap – and it’s only getting worse. TAKE OUR POLL

In the ever-evolving landscape of parenting, a novel flight plan is being charted beyond the more familiar hover of helicopter parenting.

Drone parenting describes a style of raising our young that takes parental guidance and surveillance to new heights – creating dangerous headwinds by hindering children’s ability to become independent and solve problems on their own.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of helicopter parenting, which describes parents who hover closely over their offspring and swoop in to rescue them at the slightest hint of trouble.

But as family dynamics take flight into new territories, we are witnessing the descent of helicopter parenting and ascent of its high-flying successor: navigating the airspace of modern child-rearing with a remote yet watchful eye.

Drawing from their technological toolbox, drone parents deploy a variety of apps and devices to keep a virtual eye on their children’s whereabouts, online behaviour and social interactions to ensure they can oversee and intervene from afar with precision and immediacy.

Smartphones and smartwatches enable parents to track their children, raising security and privacy issues.

Apps monitor kids’ online activities and social interactions for safety but restrict freedom.

In-home surveillance tools enhance monitoring without physical presence.

Tools for tracking academic progress and controlling screen time help manage children’s education and digital balance.

Together, these practices illustrate a comprehensive approach to parenting that leverages technology for safety and development yet also navigates the fine line between caring involvement and overbearing surveillance.

Drone parenting stems from strong affection and a protective urge, often rooted in the parent’s own unresolved childhood issues like unfairness, bullying, or lost chances, driving them to correct these in their children’s lives.

But like helicopter parents, drone parents fail to see their role as parents is to prepare their child for the journey ahead – not to prepare the journey for the child.

The challenge for today’s parents lies in setting the correct flight path to balance the critical task of navigating safely with the equally important goal of cultivating independence and resilience in these young pilots: our kids.

Professor Gary Martin is a workplace and social affairs expert

Originally published as Opinion: Forget helicopter parenting, drone parenting reaches new heights