It was the scary incident of the Bhs changing room that drove Clare
Worthington to “tag” her young daughter Jade.
“She’s a bit of a live wire and has always tended to run off,” said Clare, a
housewife and part-time office worker from Lichfield. “I was in the changing
rooms in Bhs in Birmingham and Jade, who’s four, was out of her pushchair as
I was getting my coat on. She just squeezed out and disappeared when I
wasn’t looking.
“You try to stay calm, but it’s terrifying. She could have run out into the
street and gone anywhere.”
Clare searched frantically and security staff were called. Then 10 minutes
later – “but it seemed like an hour” – Jade came sauntering down from the
far end of the store “without a care”. Though Clare was hugely relieved, the
experience made her think hard about what she would have done if Jade had
not reappeared so swiftly.
She had heard about GPS tracking systems and knew that relatives in the US
used them on their vehicles. She soon found a website that supplied her with
a kit small enough to fit unobtrusively into Jade’s clothes.
“I’ve only had it a few months, but I think it’s great. I use it if I’m going
to shopping centres or somewhere like an airport.”
If Jade goes missing, the system transmits details of her location to Clare’s
mobile phone; or if Clare has access to a computer, she can log on to a map
showing where Jade’s GPS transmitter is.
It’s not foolproof or cheap, but Clare says it has brought her some peace of
mind. She is far from alone in such anxieties. Since four-year-old Madeleine
McCann went missing in Portugal 17 days ago, many parents have wondered
whether there is more they can do to keep an eye on their children, be they
toddlers or teenagers.
There is a nascent market that manufacturers of hi-tech spy equipment are
hurrying to fill. Forget the old audible baby monitors that simply let you
listen to your beloved infant in his or her cot upstairs. Modern devices
enable parents to see infants on video links; to track older children from a
distance; monitor internet use secretly; read deleted text messages; listen
in to mobile phone calls; find out if their teenagers are driving too fast;
or even tell what their children have spent their school lunch money on.
This is James Bond territory for mum and dad. Kids might think their
fuddy-duds haven’t got a clue, but the technology now exists to let the
oldies know nearly everything.
However, like all spy thrillers, there’s a twist. Just because the technology
is available, do you have a licence to pry? Can such gadgets do more harm
than good?
A new generation of GPS devices has made tracking individuals much more
accurate and affordable. Old systems were either expensive and bulky or
tended to lose their signal in certain terrain, such as inside buildings.
But the latest devices combine satellite tracking with mobile phone technology
and are a “phenomenal breakthrough”, according to Chris Smith of Spyequipmentuk.co.uk,
the online retailer.
“Our latest product is the GPS tracker belt,” said Smith. “It’s technology
that was originally designed for people at risk of kidnap overseas, such as
UN workers. But we can now hide it in a belt and it transmits for up to a
year. Or you can sew it into clothes.”
Smith tested it last week by walking through a large shopping centre: his path
could clearly be followed on computer on a Google Earth image of the area.
“We’ve also got a short-range tracker that costs just £170. It tells you the
direction and rough distance from receiver to transmitter. It goes bip, bip,
bip like a Geiger counter and guides you in.”
Some ordinary mobile services also offer tracking, though it is less accurate
than GPS.
In addition, numerous nurseries have now installed webcams to allow parents to
view their toddlers online from home or office. And Londonnannywatch.co.uk
installs webcams in people’s homes so that they can monitor how carers look
after their children while they are out reaping City bonuses.
“Quite a high proportion find things they are not happy with,” said Bill
Smith, the company’s founder. “We have also been asked to put in systems so
that parents who go on holiday can monitor teenagers who stay at home.”
A school in Birmingham operates its attendance register on computer – which
allows parents to log in to see whether little Johnny or Jemima has turned
up on time or is playing truant.
In the US, parents can open an online account with which their child can pay
for school meals. It means parents know the money is not being blown on
online gambling instead. One website even enables parents to monitor what
food their children order for lunch.
As for driving, be wary of borrowing your dad’s car: in the US they are being
fitted with spycams so that parents can check their teenage children’s
driving. Go too fast or brake too sharply and the system logs video of the
incident and alerts parents by e-mail.
To some parents such surveillance is merely a sensible precaution, and not
unduly intrusive if conducted openly. However, far more sneaky stuff is
available for spying on every child’s vital accessories: their computers and
mobile phones.
Sales of software to monitor and control internet usage are booming. While
basic packages simply block access to certain types of website, others are
far more sophisticated.
One called Cyber Sentinel can police children as they use chat-rooms. “We’ve
built in a ‘predator library’ to the system,” said Dan Jude, president of
its maker, Security Software Systems. “We studied the conversation patterns
used online by predators and paedophiles, and if they crop up the system
alerts parents.”
Cyber Sentinel and other devices can also log every website visited by the
computer user and every key-stroke they make. This can be done either
overtly, so the user knows, or secretly, with the record easily accessible
by parents later.
Joanna, a mother from Berkshire with a 17-year-old son, installed similar
software on her home computer after her husband brought home a free copy.
“The majority of his stuff on MSN was banal chat and banter. The only thing of
note was a discussion about a pupil at school dealing marijuana,” she said.
“We passed on what we knew to the school, but decided that was enough of the
monitoring.”
Joanna felt very uneasy about the whole process. “It felt very intrusive and
underhand. I’ll never forget finding my mother reading my diary when I was
13 and how it wiped out the little respect and trust I had for her.
“The ease with which these monitoring tools are available may make them
attractive to parents, but it’s all too easy to lose the trust between you
and your children.”
A father called Will suspected one of his sons was involved with drugs and put
a secret “keylogger” on his computer. “Then accidentally he found out what I
was up to,” said Will. “I lost the trust of my son, and for what? He was
innocent all along. So don’t do it.”
Experts advise that parents keep a sense of proportion. While abductions by
strangers are dreadful, they are also very rare; and while the internet has
its dangers, children need to learn how to use it.
Sean Kelly of the children’s charity NCH said: “Monitoring is not a substitute
for talking to children, and tracking doesn’t replace knowing where your
child is.
“These things can give a false sense of security. Even if a tracker tells you
where your child is, you may not know what is happening to them.
“I can understand parents’ desire to know what’s going on, but think of the
internet as a place: you need to talk to children about how they can be safe
there, like going to a park. It’s like deciding when you can let your child
go on the bus alone.”
But the temptation to sneak a peak at your children’s mobile phones may prove
too strong for some. Certainly the technological possibilities are devious.
For less than £200 you can buy a mobile phone that is set up so that when it
is called from a preset number it answers without ringing or lighting up.
The caller can then identify the phone’s approximate location and, because
the phone acts like a microphone, listen to what is happening in its
vicinity. The caller could, for example, pick up on conversations at a party.
“It’s not precise enough for proving exactly where someone is, but it’s good
for proving where they are not,” said one expert.
Special software can also be installed on leading makes of phone so that all
text messages, sent and received, are secretly copied to another phone.
Another popular device recovers “deleted” text messages. “It’s our bestseller
by a long way,” said Smith of Spyequipmentuk.co.uk. “Mostly it’s people
wanting to find out if their partner is playing away, but parents can use it
as well to check on their children.”
But as the potential for such spying grows, some experts fear it is having a
damaging effect on childhood freedoms. “Our evidence is that children feel
the restrictions are spoiling their lives,” said Penny Nicholls, strategy
director of the Children’s Society. “They understand the anxieties, but they
want parents to trust them.
“Risk is important for growing up. I’m sure it’s not right to police children
in a way that stops them growing up.
“Let’s not spy on them, let’s talk to them instead.” Some
names have been changed
Hi-tech gadgets now let parents monitor children in the home and far away
Nursery webcam
Online connections allow you to log on at work to watch your child at nursery
Watch me
Simple tracker devices disguised as children's watches. Some include panic
buttons to transmit distress signals
Vehicle tracker
Spycam systems in US are used to monitor driving and alert parents to
dangerous behaviour
Eavesdrop phone
Special software can activate a mobile secretly, identify its location and
allow you to listen in. Some US mobile services will send alerts if a phone
moves out of designated area
Video baby monitor
Adds vision to the traditional baby listening monitor. Handheld versions also
available
Belt and braces
Advanced global positioning satellite (GPS) tracker system that can be hidden
in a belt or clothing. Delivers real-time location almost anywhere
How far should parents go in monitoring their children? Have your say on
the Alphamummy blog at www.timesonline.co.uk/alphamummy
Also see: www.timesonline.typepad.com/consumer
