Assessing the value of a phone tracker
What if the device used to keep kids safe ends up destroying them?
Originally published in the Moultrie News.
Should I put a tracker on my child’s smartphone? All her other friends have them, but she says it’s an invasion of her privacy.
I’m sorry to break this to you, but the phone itself is an invasion of privacy. It’s already tracking your child’s location. Its apps, Wi-Fi, camera, and microphone can steal private information at will. That means anyone could be sharing your child’s photos, reading her messages, listening to her conversations, and stalking her whereabouts through apps and settings that you voluntarily sign on to. It’s a bit obtuse to wonder if you, as a parent, should have a fraction of the access TikTok does.
Maybe what you mean to say is, “If I track my child’s location, will I receive blowback?” Or—and this is a much better question— “Could tracking my child do them more harm than good?”
The answer to the first question is “probably not.” As you say, most kids are already tracked. Children raised under continual surveillance likely learn to accept it.
The answer to the second question requires more analysis, starting with this question: What do you hope to gain by tracking your child?
In my experience, the top reason parents track is garden-variety helicoptering. Whatever prying instinct motivates parents to track school grades by the minute is the same one at work here. Nothing more is at stake than parental curiosity fulfillment.
Many parents want to ensure that their kids are where they say they are. If they say they’re going to nice friend Dave’s, but actually go to sketchy friend Darrin’s, they want to know.
But surely parents realize this can be manipulated. The child can use apps that sidestep tracking, drain the battery, or simply leave the phone at Dave’s — trackers trace the phone, not the child. Also, the tracker can show that your daughter is at Dave’s, but not what she’s doing there. It’s essentially powerless to prevent drug and alcohol use, shoplifting, bullying, or sex (though it can show if your driving teenager is speeding, which could be of value).
Many parents cite safety as a reason for tracking. If the child is abducted, the tracker will help find her, provided she maintains possession of her phone.
According to the US DOJ, about 115 children are abducted by strangers or slight acquaintances annually. By comparison, 270 people are struck by lightning. With approximately 74 million kids under 18, the risk of a child being kidnapped by a stranger is about 0.0001 percent. Clearly, the chances of such a catastrophe are slight, but if a tracker prevents the worst-case scenario, it will have been worth it.
However, there are other ways for children to get hurt. Many of the most serious threats come from the phone itself.
We know, for example, thanks to an SFSU study, that phones are as addictive as opioids. Other studies show phones correlate with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. They deepen loneliness and isolation. They cause one out of every five car accidents. They devastate sleep patterns. They contribute to increased impulsivity. The access they give kids to pornography damages healthy relationships and sexual behavior.
In fact, phones may even increase the possibility of abduction by escalating the likelihood of the child being sexually solicited by an adult. According to Child Watch of North America, in one year, approximately 7 million kids aged 10-17 received a sexual solicitation or sexual approach online.
Protecting children is complicated. We have to consider all threats. Kidnapping is among the most serious, but not the most prevalent. If the device used to keep kids safe ends up destroying them from the inside out, then we shouldn’t be contemplating the value of a tracker; we should consider jettisoning the device altogether. This is why many parents are turning to safer options like “dumb phones” that only allow kids to call and text.
Ultimately, trackers can only tell you where a child’s body is located — not where their head or heart is. Perhaps parenting’s most difficult challenge is trying to protect them all at once.
Jody Stallings has been an award-winning teacher in Charleston since 1992 and is director of the Charleston Teacher Alliance. To submit a question, order his books, or follow him on social media, please visit JodyStallings.com.