To Air Tag my son?

[Cluborange666]

Son is 15. We live in Manchester which does have a rough element, also the bomb is still at the back of my mind. DS has just got his first girlfriend from the other side of Manchester and they meet in the middle.
I bought a box of AirTags as my elder son (who is AuDHD) will be travelling to university every day with his brand new and expensive laptop (and he has massive form for forgetting bags).
I had the idea of making my younger child carry an AirTag in his pocket whilst in Manchester as a safety precaution. He says no and my husband supports this. I feel like it’s a good idea. Not because I will spy on him but in case he runs out of money or loses his phone and can’t get home. I’ll put it to the jury.

I find the whole concept of tracking somebody deplorable and would never monitor my sons whereabouts

I was in Manchester when the IRA bomb went off. All you could do is walk home as the cordons got bigger and then jump on a bus for free, if you had no cash, as and when you finally saw one.

I was still 'allowed' out in town afterwards. There was always £20 (well ok £30 in your case) in a drawer at home if I ever got stuck and needed to get a black cab home. I do still stick £2 in my pocket incase in case I ever need to get a bus home

There are plenty of pay phones in Manchester. Digital ones attached to billboards. You just might have to wait for someone to complete a drug deal on them first (true story)

I think you are being over cautious with your son and if you push it he might start to resent you. If I was forced with an AirTag at that age I’d put it on a train to Euston

The difference is that falling off a horse means you could potentially be unconscious somewhere in the countryside with nobody else around. Unlikely with a motorbike.

If I was forced with an AirTag at that age I’d put it on a train to Euston

😂😂😂

Get a bloody grip! This is why young people today have zero resilience. Also - an air tag is not going to protect him from a bomb or terrorist attack. Stop smothering your children.

Why didn’t you just AirTag his keys and make sure he always has his keys with him?

That’s exactly the same as making him have an airtag in his pocket 🤦‍♀️.

Agree with all the posters who say this is getting ridiculous - our 16 yr old son recently asked DH to take his tracking off his phone and he did. He doesn’t want to be monitored 24/7 and I completely respect that. We travelled the world as teens without being monitored like this, it’s utterly crazy and just serves to drive this anxious stressed society we live in.

They’re rubbish for tracking people. My son has one on his keyring and as we already have the Life 360 app, he was happy to add me to his AirTag. If I check if - and I rarely do - it gives me his location 3 hours ago. It’s really unreliable and won’t give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.

Actually quite a common occurrence unfortunately. Bike comes off road into a hedge or field, might not be found for hours or days. Automatic crash alerts on bikes and personal devices are slowly making it less common luckily.

Also-my 14 year old was not regularly out on her motorbike…..

If you pay for his phone it is reasonable that your family installs some sort of tracking.
Have a full discussion but you can't tack him unless he agrees and you all have to agree on when you would use the tracking.

It is terrible to lose one's phone.

As a family, trust is important.
DS15 should not leave his parents worried so communication about where he's likely to go and when he's likely to be home is respectful.

Indeed, doing something even more dangerous. At least ride in pairs. Going out alone without an automatic emergency device is frankly moronic. In serious trauma, seconds count.

This is scary to me: Everyone being tagged all the time. We are creating a state that watches and monitors all our movements all the time! A dictatorship like North Korea in the making with parents doing all the monitoring. This needs to stop. The internet is the most invasive and manipulatively dangerous place ever.