GPS trackers keep kids in parents' sights, but at a cost

With advances in technology, parents now have an easier time than ever keeping track of what their kids are doing and exactly where they are, at all times.

There is a whole industry of GPS receivers, devices, phone applications and car trackers that parents can use with kids of any age to track their whereabouts, both with or without the kids knowing about it.

Family psychologists suggest that going behind children's back is a bad idea and can be damaging to your relationship with them, but many parents feel it is an issue of safety that takes precedence over privacy.

The desire to protect is natural and universal, said Mary Doheny, a clinical psychologist with Northwestern University's Family Institute.

“The problem is that when you go behind their backs you forfeit their trust,” Doheny said.

Although some of the technology is new, she said the idea is as old as parent's reading kids diaries or checking their backpacks. Doheny cautioned that her teen clients say that even the most sophisticated parental controls can be thwarted by tech savvy kids.

But for parents determined to track their kids down, there are a variety of products available depending on their age.

For children under 13, Brickhouse Security and many others offer products to help track children while they might be outside playing or to find them if they are lost or have been abducted.

The Spark Nano from Brickhouse Security is a small, real-time tracker that maps where your child is with an accuracy within a few yards, said John Craig who works in marketing at Brickhouse. The device has an optional “panic” button a child can press that will send a text or email alert to the parents instantly.

Parents can also set up a GeoFence, which is a perimeter around an area and be notified if the child leaves that set area, Craig said.

The Spark Nano costs $199.95 and has a monthly service fee. Parents can rent a Spark Nano for a month, such as for a vacation, for $99.95.

“Some of these items are for people who are concerned and want to keep track of their children. It depends on the need, some are just worried or some may be going through a messy divorce,” Craig said.

Other devices are designed specially for kids in those situations, such as the Brickhouse Child Locator, which has a band that locks onto the child's wrist and if you cannot find your child you can ping the device and it will let you know where it is.

As children get older the concern shifts from them getting lost, to parents wanting to know what they are doing and where, and there are a variety of ways parents can keep track of their older children as well.

The iTrail is a small device parents can put in their teens car and later plug it into the computer, which uses Google Earth to show everywhere they've been. Craig said some parents tell their children about the device, but others do not. The iTrail costs $189.

A major concern for parents of teen drivers is to know how safely they are driving. The View Eye Car Camera is a dual camera that rests on the windshield and takes video of the driver and the road, as well as takes a GPS log of locations.

“Parents can find out how their kids are driving, if they are picking up friends in the car, if they are talking or texting while driving,” Craig said. “But this isn't a device you could hide. They'll know it's there, but they may be much less likely to misbehave if they know their parents are watching.”

The View Eye Car Camera costs $295.

For people looking for a simple way to track their family members at a cheaper price, there are also mobile options such as the iPhone app, Footprints. Footprints lets you track people in real-time, but they must grant permission to be tracked. The app gives information about where a person is on a map, and how fast they're moving, for parents who worry that their teens may be speeding. There is an option for parents to install the app on their children's phone and make it impossible for them to delete the app without a password. Footprints in free for the first 60 days and a yearly subscription costs only $2.99.

The app stores for cellphones offer even more options for GPS tracking at a low price, but Deheny still warns that parents should have a discussion with their children before starting to spy.

“For adolescents, privacy is a necessity.” she said. “But, I guess it's easier to monitor them than to talk to them.”