Parents have always had to find new ways to keep track of their children when they’re out and about. Now, one tech savvy mum has come up with a creative idea of using a new Apple product to keep an eye on her little one.
Mum-of-two Lucy Jobbins, 32, bought Apple’s new AirTags, and has used them to tag the inside of the clothes of her children Penelope, five and Teddy, three, when they are in crowded spaces.
Lucy, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, came up with the idea after feeling anxious about losing her children in public.
Apple AirTags use signals from Apple products like iPhones and iPads in close proximity and are are intended to keep track of lost keys or wallets.
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The AirTags then bounce their own signal back to the iPhone registered with the tracking device based on the location of other Apple devices near it.
If the item, or in this case, a child, is not near an iPhone user they will not emit a signal back to the user's iPhone.
Lucy posted about her hack on Facebook writing: "I thought parents would appreciate this.
"I have two babies under five and one of them bolts away from me whenever he gets the chance.
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"Apple AirTags from Amazon, connected to my phone so I can clip them to the inside of their clothes if we go somewhere busy/crowded.
"Best money I have ever spent. I used them while we were at Alton Towers this weekend and it really calmed me down.
"We lost my littlest at a beach last year and I never recovered from the trauma… Until now."
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Lucy explained the hack further, adding: “I think I am just the average paranoid mum. My mind runs absolutely wild with fears of something happening to the kids.
Last year, Lucy’s son Teddy had run off during a family outing and was missing for ten minutes. This frightening experience influenced Lucy to find a way to keep an eye on her kids at all time using technology.
She continued: “We were both running around like headless chickens trying to find him. My friend told me about Apple AirTags.
“I have them attached to the inside of my baby bag, so when we’re out and about and I get a bit stressed from crowded places I will clip them on the inside of the kids clothes tag.
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“They know all about it. So if they are lost they know to stay still and I will be able to come and get them.
“It really calms me down. Until you have two kids and are in a crowded area you would never know the stress.
“There is nothing I could recommend higher.”
Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist for ESET, commented: “The latest tech gadgets can be extremely helpful in tracking lost items but they come with more illicit usages too. Apple has done their best to mitigate the risk of someone being tracked who has not given consent by notifying them if it [AirTag] has been close to them for 24 hours.
“Tracking devices have been on the market for some time and are available to anyone without giving any reason as to why they would want one.
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“Apple’s AirTag is not designed to track people but it has helped make the technology more accessible and for a relatively cheap price.
“If you do ever find an AirTag tracking you or your belongings, you can disable it to stop sharing your location by twisting it counter-clockwise on the back or better still removing the battery.”
Tamas Kadar, CEO and founder of SEON, comments there may be some dangers to attaching an AirTag to your child: “Apple designed the device so it should not be used for tracking people.
“When the parents iPhone is separated from the tag for more than a day, the AirTag’s anti-stalking counter will begin,” he tells Tyla.
“This counter will alert all iPhone users nearby to tell them that an AirTag is with them.
“This could be especially concerning for the teachers in your children’s classroom and others nearby that will receive the alert, especially if more children have an AirTag on them."
You can find out more about AirTags here.
Featured Image Credit: Deadline News