The Week Junior - UK (2022-03-05)

8 The Week Junior • 5 March 2022

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Should parents track their children?

T

racking apps that allow parents and guardians to

monitor their child’s location and movements are

becoming more and more common. A study in 2019

showed that 40% of parents and guardians in the UK

were using some kind of tracking app every day. A

2020 survey found that 33% of parents of children

aged five to 11 in the US use tools to monitor their

child’s whereabouts. With tracking apps, parents can

feel connected to their children even when they’re not

at home and young people enjoy a sense of freedom.

Although many parents like the peace of mind of

knowing where their child is, some people think that

tracking invades the privacy and freedom of young

people and it damages trust. What do you think?

Should parents track their children?

Yes – it gives parents peace of mind

Tracking apps give parents and guardians the location

of their child while they are out without having to ask

them lots of times, which can be annoying for young

people. Tracking apps mean that parents and

guardians not only know where their child is, but they

can also set alerts for themselves so they know when

their child leaves a place or is on their way home. This

gives parents and guardians peace of mind without

being overbearing. Instead of being anxious while

their children are out, parents and guardians can

relax knowing they’ll receive alerts if their child is

running late. Tracking apps also give young people

a taste of independence, especially if their parents

would otherwise not let them move around so freely.

No – it invades young people’s privacy

Tracking apps take away a big part of childhood –

that sense of freedom you feel when you go out

without a parent or guardian. If young people know

their grown-ups are “watching” them, they won’t

have that same thrill and sense of freedom. Children

may also feel that apps invade their privacy and that

they can’t go anywhere without their parents or

guardian (virtually) following them. Young people

may also become worried that this is only the

beginning of grown-ups monitoring their activities.

Parents may also become dependent on tracking

apps and not learn to trust their children, even when

they are young adults. Children need to have true

freedom so that they can learn responsibility.

There has been a rise in apps and

services that allow parents and

guardians to track their children.

The apps can provide parents and

guardians with their children’s location

when they’re outside the home.

Tracking apps work by monitoring

the location of a device such as mobile

phone, smartwatch or smartband.

Some of the apps can also track a

young person’s messages, phone calls

and social media activity.

Life360, a location-tracking service

designed for families, has more than

32 million users. It is one of the most

downloaded apps in the UK and the US.

What you need to know

1

Parents get peace of mind knowing

where their children are, when they

have arrived somewhere safely and

when they are on their way home.

2

Tracking apps allow parents and

guardians to monitor their children

without being overbearing.

3

Young people get a taste of freedom

and enjoy experiences they might not

get otherwise. Parents and their

children all win.

Three reasons why parents

should track their children

Three reasons why parents

YES NO should not track their children

Tracking apps mean parents

know where their children are.

LAST WEEK’S POLL

Last week, we asked if board

games are better than

video games. This was a

close one but most of you

prefer to turn the screen

off and play board games

with other people.

GET

TY^

IMA

GES

1

When children know their parents are

following their every move, it takes

away from a child’s sense of freedom.

2

Young people may feel these apps

invade their privacy and that the next

steps will be parents and guardians

monitoring their texts and social media.

3

Parents can become dependent on apps

and not learn to trust their children.

A young person becoming responsible

is an important step in growing up.

Some parents feel safer knowing

where their children are at all times.

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls.

Vote YES if you think that parents should track their children, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week.

Listen to our podcast to hear

Bex from Fun Kids radio and

three of The Week Junior team

bring this big debate to life. You’ll find it

at tinyurl.com/TWJpodcast

Junior

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The aim of the Big Debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds.

The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking

Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org

The big debate

48%

NO

52%

YES