App designed to help parents find missing children

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 5 June 2012 00:33 IST
Highlights
  • It's a parent's worst nightmare. Their child doesn't come home one evening and is missing for several days.
App designed to help parents find missing children
It's a parent's worst nightmare. Their child doesn't come home one evening and is missing for several days.

When the mother of a 14-year-old boy from Atlanta, Georgia disappeared earlier this year, she turned to her smartphone for clues using an app called Family Tracker that helped track his location.

It is one of several apps that allow parents to track the whereabouts of their children.

"You can see where your loved ones are without having to call or bother them," said Roberto Franceschetti of LogSat, the creators of the Family Tracker, which has more than 100,000 users and is available worldwide.

Parents can track the location of their child on a map, send messages, and even activate an alarm on the phone remotely.

Advertisement

"We have an option for the sender to make a very nasty, noisy sound. It's a loud siren and we repeat that sound every two minutes until the person picks up," he said.

Parents don't need to own a smartphone to track their children. The service is also accessible via the web, as long as the phone that is being tracked is running the app, which runs on an iPhone or Android devices.

Advertisement

Family Tracker has an additional service that keeps a log of all data generated by the app for a two-week period, which the company calls GPS breadcrumbs.

The service was used to find the missing boy in Atlanta.

Advertisement

"With a subscription, we keep all the locations where people have been on our servers. You can see where your kid has been for the past two weeks. You can find out where someone was at a certain time, or when that person was at a specific place," Franceschetti explained.

But are these types of apps an invasion of privacy?

"The advantages are huge compared to the disadvantages. Let's not forget that the person always has to give initial permission -- no one can be tracked unless they allow someone to do it," said Franceschetti.

A similar app called Life360 is credited with helping families stay connected during last year's tsunami in Japan.

The mother of the missing boy, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she will continue to use the app to track her son.

"My advice to any parent is not to be shy about keeping tabs on your children," she said. "Technology cannot replace pro-active communication and healthy parent child relationships but I have found that it is one more tool in a good parents arsenal."

© Thomson Reuters 2012
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Family Tracker, app, missing children
Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Itel Super Guru 4G Max Launched in India With Built-In AI Voice Assistant
  2. Vivo T4R 5G Key Features Revealed; to Launch in India on This Date
  3. Xiaomi 16 Ultra Leaks Hints at Major Camera and Battery Upgrades
  4. AppleCare One Announced; Lets You Add Up to 3 Devices Under a Single Plan
  5. iQOO Z10 Turbo Pro+ Spotted on Geekbench; May Pack 8,000mAh Battery
  6. Moto G86 Power India Launch Date Confirmed: Check Features, Colour Options
  7. Google Pixel 10 Lineup Accidentally Leaked via Play Store Banner
  8. Upcoming Redmi Smartphone in India With Battery Could Be the Redmi 15 5G
  9. Pioneer VREC-H320SC Dashcam Review
  10. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Leaked Design Renders Show New Colour Options
  1. iQOO Z10R 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC, 5,700mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications
  2. YouTube Shorts Rolling Out Photo-to-Video Tool for Animating Photos Along With New Generative Effects
  3. Vivo T4R 5G India Launch Date Set for July 31; to Feature MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC
  4. Google’s AI Mode in Search Hits 100 Million Users, New Features Rolling Out: Report
  5. Xiaomi 16 Ultra Leak Suggests Major Upgrades Coming to Rear Camera and Battery
  6. iQOO Z10 Turbo Pro+ Spotted on Geekbench; Tipped to Pack 8,000mAh Battery
  7. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 to Support Up to 35 Now Bar Apps and Services By the End of 2025: Report
  8. New PS5 System Update Beta Allows DualSense Controller to Pair to Multiple Devices
  9. Qi2 25W Wireless Charging Specification Announced; WPC Says 'Major Android Smartphones' to Join Ecosystem
  10. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Leaked Design Renders Showcase New Colour Options
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.