Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Safety-conscious parents are buying mobile phones for children as young as FOUR, its been revealed!
Fears about teenage runaways and child abduction have left UK mums and dads desperate to keep tabs on their kids - and nearly two thirds have invested in a mobile for their offspring.
The survey of 2,100 parents, which was carried out by a new mobile surveillance website – www.traceamobile.com - also reveals many mums and dads are now considering taking security a step further by using the very latest spy technology.
Almost two thirds of parents said they would register their children’s phone with an online mobile tracing service, if it meant they could locate the user’s position anywhere in the UK, via any switched-on handset.
Managing director Jonathan Cook said: “These findings are not surprising. Until now, only the police and emergency services could trace a mobile phone.
“But reports of the increasing number of missing children has led to demand for it to be made available to the general public.”
Eight out of ten parents say they fear for their child’s safety “on a daily basis”, with kids living in towns twice as likely to have a phone as those in the country.
When asked how old their child was when they were first given a mobile, the survey found half were aged between 10 -12 years-old.
Two percent said they had bought a handset for their four year-old.
However, not all parents are convinced though that letting their kids have a phone is a good idea.
Of the 43 per cent questioned who refused to allow them one, most said their decision was based on their belief that the child was “not old enough”.
Other reasons were the fear that it might encourage bullying or theft, that the child could “get addicted” to texting, or the additional expenditure involved.
But the decision not to let them have a mobile phone is causing a massive extra headache for security-conscious families.
Nearly 20 per cent of them give their children a lift “everywhere”. Twelve per cent do not allow their youngsters out after dark and some parents are “positively vetting” their child’s friends.
Acknowledging the dilemma facing mums and dads, Jonathan Cook said: “On the one hand you want to keep an eye on your kids, but on the other you don’t want to be seen to be constantly fussing or checking up on them.
“The ability to trace a mobile, combined with the already proven safety benefits of children carrying a phone, will definitely help give parents peace of mind.”
Fears about teenage runaways and child abduction have left UK mums and dads desperate to keep tabs on their kids - and nearly two thirds have invested in a mobile for their offspring.
The survey of 2,100 parents, which was carried out by a new mobile surveillance website – www.traceamobile.com - also reveals many mums and dads are now considering taking security a step further by using the very latest spy technology.
Almost two thirds of parents said they would register their children’s phone with an online mobile tracing service, if it meant they could locate the user’s position anywhere in the UK, via any switched-on handset.
Managing director Jonathan Cook said: “These findings are not surprising. Until now, only the police and emergency services could trace a mobile phone.
“But reports of the increasing number of missing children has led to demand for it to be made available to the general public.”
Eight out of ten parents say they fear for their child’s safety “on a daily basis”, with kids living in towns twice as likely to have a phone as those in the country.
When asked how old their child was when they were first given a mobile, the survey found half were aged between 10 -12 years-old.
Two percent said they had bought a handset for their four year-old.
However, not all parents are convinced though that letting their kids have a phone is a good idea.
Of the 43 per cent questioned who refused to allow them one, most said their decision was based on their belief that the child was “not old enough”.
Other reasons were the fear that it might encourage bullying or theft, that the child could “get addicted” to texting, or the additional expenditure involved.
But the decision not to let them have a mobile phone is causing a massive extra headache for security-conscious families.
Nearly 20 per cent of them give their children a lift “everywhere”. Twelve per cent do not allow their youngsters out after dark and some parents are “positively vetting” their child’s friends.
Acknowledging the dilemma facing mums and dads, Jonathan Cook said: “On the one hand you want to keep an eye on your kids, but on the other you don’t want to be seen to be constantly fussing or checking up on them.
“The ability to trace a mobile, combined with the already proven safety benefits of children carrying a phone, will definitely help give parents peace of mind.”
