I remember the day I was way late from school and met up with my frantic mother as I walked home. She was walking quickly and carrying a metal comb with a pointy handle. This was for stabbing my attackers, or at least the ones that entered her mind as she fretted.
Of course, technology these days brings us a saner way of tracking down a late kid. One is KIdGPS, by mobile accessories maker X-Doria. It’s a palm-sized tracking device the kids carry so that nervous parents can check on their whereabouts via a companion app on their iPhone or Android device.
Child abductions by strangers are rare, yet three our of four parents say they fear their child will be kidnapped by a stranger, according to surveys cited in the book The Culture of Fear by USC sociology professor Barry Glassner.
The instances of said stranger danger are very rare, crime statistics show, but the panic, thanks to press coverage on the rare cases, is quite real.
So the X-Doria device aims to provide peace-of-mind as it keeps tabs on your kids.
Photo: X-Doria
The kid-friendly KidGPS can fit in a pocket or be clipped to a backpack. There are zone and geo-fencing features that notify parents when their child arrives someplace and should something go array, the device has a panic button that sends the current location.
A parent can set up multiple devices to receive alerts. The battery is said to last for seven days on a charge.
KidGPS is $99.99 with three months of tracking service at KidGPS.us. T-Mobile also offers tracking for the KidGPS for $5.99 per month.
Photo: X-Doria
