Big Mother is watching

The irony is that, although news reports paint a bleak picture, independent statistics show that life has become less dangerous for kids in recent years -- with violent crime in particular dropping by 38 percent since 1975. The short spin cycle of cable TV may anoint a new child victim every week, but the actual numbers are far less grim: of the 800,000 kids that go missing each year in America, only 150 cases involve what the Justice Department calls "stereotypical kidnappings," in which a child is taken by a stranger and either held for ransom, abused or killed. Scores more "missing children" are teenage runaways or "throwaways," abandoned by their parents. "Truly, the real news story of the last 10 years has been the astonishing decline in crime," says Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld, a New York City child psychologist. "But we are assaulted by a media that is more interested in scaring people, so it is almost impossible for parents to assess the real level of risk. And of course, there is no shortage of people willing to sell products based on those fears."

While the peace of mind such products promise might sound irresistible to some parents, critics warn that a false sense of security may be just as dangerous as a predator, if not more dangerous. "A lot of these devices give parents an unwarranted sense of comfort and control," says Boehm, of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "I worry that we are getting lazy about making parenting smarter. What parents should want are savvy kids who know about problem solving -- because it's personal responsibility and strength that will help them when the technology doesn't work."

By preaching the virtues of 24-hour surveillance, parents also run the risk of depicting the world as an inherently predatory place. "What is happening is that parents now assume the worst possible outcome, rather than seeing other adults as their allies," says Frank Furedi, a professor of sociology at England's University of Kent and the author of "Paranoid Parenting." "You never hear stories about asking neighbors to care for kids or coming together as community. Instead we become insular, privatized communities, and look for technological solutions to what are really social problems." Indeed, while our parents' generation was taught to "honor thy neighbor," the mantra for today's kids is "stranger danger," and the message is clear -- expect the worst of anyone unfamiliar -- anywhere, and at any time.

While acknowledging that their products' popularity relies on the maintenance of a rather grim worldview, manufacturers of kid-tracking technology are adamant that the long-term benefits of such surveillance far outweigh any possible negative psychological side effects for kids. "Of course, we don't want to preach doom and gloom, but the truth is society invites it," says Church, of Teen Arrive Alive. "The alternative is to put blinders on and pretend it will never happen to you. We think of our device like a seat belt -- you don't get into a car expecting to be in an accident, but you're glad you have it on when you do." Indeed, while the statistics show that children's lives have become safer over the past three decades, that shift may validate rather than negate the benefits of stricter parental controls.

"Whether we like it or not," says David Gomillion, the young Florida parent, "these products are a necessary fact of the kind of world we live in. I don't want my children to be victims ... But I will tell them, there are bad guys and good guys out there. And if you don't know what kind they are, well -- assume they're the bad ones."

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