Hide and seek

Does this provide true protection for your children or is it an attempt to sell services to an otherwise untapped market? Will the next marketing concept be to ensure parents purchase a camera phone so the child can snap and send a photo of the abductor as well?

These are a couple services from Sprint and Verizon available for parents to monitor their children’s location via a wireless phone. It is important to note the phones need to be turned on, within specific coverage areas and in the child’s possession to be of value.How realistic is it to expect the child to still have the phone should they be abducted? If they were lost, and not missing, wouldn’t they just call their parents?

What is Sprint Family Locator?

Sprint Family Locator is an inexpensive way for families on the go to stay in constant touch. Mom, Dad or a trusted caregiver can locate loved ones without disturbing their activities, receive notification when a child enters or leaves a designated area, and quickly and easily send text messages to one or more family members.

What is Chaperone?

Chaperone provides a convenient and valuable service to help you determine the location of your child’s mobile phone from the Internet or from your mobile phone. When your children carry their Verizon Wireless phones with them while on the go, you can use the Chaperone Web Site or the Chaperone Get It Now® application to view their location information. Your child's location information will be displayed as a nearby address and on a detailed map.

An interesting article discusses some of the pros and cons of these offerings.