[lotu]

I always figured it was kinda the opposite, a GPS tracker allows a parent to feel more secure about letting the child out of their sight thus decreasing the "helicoptering". I'd be much more comfortable letting a child walk a couple 2 miles to see their friend if I know I'd be able to quickly recognize if something went wrong (i.e. the child stops moving, or starts going in the wrong direction very quickly.).

Now there is a point as the kid ages where it could get creepy but I think that really depends on you a person, if you are a generally creepy person on not. For example my family of all adults share an iTunes family account to share movies and stuff, this also lets us look at each others location via find my iphone. However this isn't a problem because not of us are creepy assholes.

[TazeTSchnitzel]

> a GPS tracker allows a parent to feel more secure about letting the child out of their sight thus decreasing the "helicoptering"

A GPS tracker is a long-range spying device; it feels oxymoronic to claim you're letting them out of your sight if they're wearing one. If you can't trust your kids to be out of your sight without tracking them, you don't trust them.

[jawns]

> If you can't trust your kids to be out of your sight without tracking them, you don't trust them.

It's not always about trusting the kid. It's about trusting the rest of the world.

[Odenwaelder]

Why would you not trust the rest of the world? The world is safer today than it was 10 years ago.

[jawns]

Haha. I'm 10 years older than I was 10 years ago. Does that mean I'm the oldest I possibly could be?

[sliverstorm]

Right, you could certainly be insane about it, but if for example you could program perhaps a generous geofence alert and speed alert, you wouldn't even have to look at their location to have some extra reassurance while letting them off to do their own thing.

Maybe you shouldn't be worrying in the first place- but for those that do, it could be the proverbial knee guards and helmet that allow their kid to roam.