Would you Microchip your child?

[clumsymum]

this article in the Times today points out that it is technically possible.

But is this really where we want to go?

Yes i would.

I think I would.

I totally agree

OMG expat!!

Er, ditto.

hhhhm, i'd think about it, you know. there's a guy dh knows who's had his work swipe card info implanted (he's a boffin) so that he doesn't have to remember it every day. i think it's the future...

NO!

If THE WORST thing happened then the perpetrator would simply hack the chip out with a knife

madness

No - utterly ridiculous, paranoia.
It also would make parents less likely to supervise their kids properly.
In the utterly infinitessimal liklihood aof a kid being abducted - the abducotr would already have studied these gadgets and would disable it, maybe mutilating the child in the process.

yeah! for mp.

'It also would make parents less likely to supervise their kids properly.'

I doubt it. It's not like you actually want them to go missing is it?!

& kookaburra

Expat, I have had a metal plate in my leg for 40 years plus, and now also have an artificial hip BUT

1 ) they don't actually transmit a signal 24/7, as such a device would

and

2. they were put in for sound beneficial medical reasons, not as a possible solution to a problem that will very probably never occur anyway.

That loony in Reading university tags himself

No I wouldn't because we don't know what the long term risks are (eg cancer etc.)

And what would you say to your child?

"Mummy what's this lump in my arm?"
"Oh don't worry darling, that's so we can track you in case you are stolen by paedophiles"

lovely idea

but some sick bastard might find out the chip was there and remove it

no thanks

I think it panders to both paranoia and complacency all at the same time, and that takes some doing.

And really, who says the chances of being abducted are really that small? Thousands of children are missing - for all we know a good chunk of them have been abducted.

It's all about your own personal risk assessment and the chances you are willing to take. I'm willing to take very few when it comes to my children. If people think I'm neurotic, then fine, but I don't want to be a parent making a plea for my child on the 10 o'clock news.

I agree morningpaper. people start getting chipped, the perpertrator will/could hack off limb or cut the chip out. horrid.

I suppose you could start tagging your husband as well

And employers could tag their employees

Oh sorry, they already do that in some places, don't they?

true, the signal would be a concern, as would the mutialtion. but i disagree that it would make people more lax.

how do people assess these risks. surely it is more dangerous taking a child in a car or crossing the road!

The vast majority of the time, children are abducted by a non-custodial parent.

Taking a child in a car and crossing the road is unavoidable risk. Leaving them sleeping alone in a room while you go to a restaurant, for example, is avoidable risk. Some people are comfortable with it and some people aren't and you have a choice there. You don't have that much choice about whether you cross the road with them.

you are far more likely to fall down stairs and die

perhaps we should replace our stairs with a giant slide and an elevator

how sad that some people are sarcastically taking the mickey out of others who wish to protect their child

I bet there would be slightly more support on here for husband-tagging.

DH: "I'll be home late, dear, just got a few things to catch up on at he office."

mumsnetter thinks: Right, logging in... [keys rattle... Aerial grid on screen - homing in with crosshairs, Spooks-style... Red dot flashing over the Pig & Whistle] "Target identified! Lockdown, repeat, lockdown!"