We used Apple AirTags to track our kids – but it caused huge rifts, we accused them of lying & became paranoid
AS she walked through the bustling airport, Ruth Bradford gripped her children’s hands tightly.
Navigating busy crowds with six-year-old Edward and two-year-old Josephine always sent her stress levels soaring, which is why she had slipped an AirTag into each of their pockets.
The £29 tracking devices were paired with Ruth’s iPhone, sending out a secure Bluetooth signal that could be detected by nearby linked mobiles in the Find My network.
It allowed the mum, from Bristol, and her husband Karl, 44, a lawyer, to see their kids’ location on a map in the app, should they get lost or run off.
Ruth, 41, says: “I’m far from a helicopter parent who wants to watch their children’s every move but if you can use technology for peace of mind, why wouldn’t you?
“My son is a little anxious and doesn’t like big crowds while our daughter is the opposite and likely to do a runner.
“I’ve had to sprint after her at full pelt in the park at times, which is challenging if I am alone with both kids.”
AirTags were launched by Apple in 2021 to track belongings, but rising numbers of parents now buy them to keep an eye on their most precious possessions instead.
More than 55 million were sold in the first 18 months, with the coin-sized tags particularly popular for use on toddlers and primary-school pupils who do not own mobiles, and kids with learning disabilities.
Android phone users can opt for Samsung Galaxy SmartTag and Life360 Tile trackers instead, while families with older kids who have phones or GPS watches are installing locator apps like Life360 and Find My Kids.
‘Discourage stalking’
But while parents might think it is keeping children safer, experts warn the discreet devices can be abused by criminals, with stories of them being slipped into a victim’s clothing, bag or car.
This has led Apple to raise security measures, with notifications to iPhones if an unknown tag is found travelling with them and making the tags sound an alarm when separated from their owner.
Data protection expert Emma Green, co-founder of Cyber Data Law solicitors in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, explains: “There have been concerning stories about people finding AirTags on their person or possessions that they didn’t put there.
“Apple has introduced features to discourage stalking, but this isn’t foolproof and we all need to educate ourselves about using this tech safely.”
The tech firm has also discouraged customers from using AirTags to monitor kids, saying a much pricier Apple Watch, costing from £219, would be a more appropriate choice.
Ruth, founder of The Little Black and White Book Project, which publishes baby books, says preparing for their first trip abroad as a family of four was the catalyst for investing in AirTags.
“I put them into a zipped pocket or use a safety pin to fasten it into their hoods, so they were discreet and also difficult to lose.
“The kids forget they are wearing them.
“On holiday in France, it soothed our nerves when Josephine kept running ahead and we struggled to keep up with him.
“My parents would never have done anything like this but families nowadays visit places like festivals and concerts, which get very busy.
“You’d never forgive yourself if the worst happened and you’d had the chance to use this but didn’t.”
Parenting coach Hannah Love believes trackers give kids more freedom.
The mum-of-three has used Life360 with her eldest child, Oliver, 14, for two years and recently added daughter Ella, 11, when she started walking to her new secondary school in Bracknell, Berkshire.
“Oliver is terrible at picking up his phone so if he is running late, I can see he’s on his way without repeatedly calling,” says Hannah, 45, a paediatric nurse, who runs parenting website Sleep Well With Hannah.
“I did catch him out buying a chocolate bar when he was on the way to school the other day, though, when I checked his location to try to drop off his forgotten packed lunch.
“There have been incidents of strangers trying to get kids into cars or taking pictures of them recently.
“Trackers mean I know where they are should the worst happen.
“When a local girl went missing for 24 hours, it took a great deal of time to piece her movements together.
“With Life360, we’d have all the information at hand to give to the police.
“I spend my professional life working with anxious parents. If a tracker can allow them to relax, it’s better for them and their child.”
It’s not just the kids who are being monitored in Hannah’s household.
The app lets them see where she and husband Daryl, 39, are.
Hannah says: “My daughter called me out after a night out recently, asking where I had been until 2am.
“As they get older, we’ll give them the option of whether they still want to use the app.
“I know some families like to continue with it when they go off to university, providing both sides are willing.”
‘App caused a big row with my son’
One parent who won’t be doing this is Julia Etherington, 45, from Bristol.
The mum-of-four installed Life360 on her eldest son Will’s phone when he was 14, as she was concerned about his whereabouts in the evening.
But they quit the app after a few months because it was causing unnecessary worry and arguments.
Julia, a journalist, says: “It was supposed to give me peace of mind but I just became paranoid.
“I would check it constantly when Will was out and it didn’t tell me what I really wanted to know — who he was with and what he was doing.
“Things came to a head when he went to the rugby club but the app told me he was in the cul-de-sac behind it.
“Then I accused him of lying and we had a row, but I realised he had been telling the truth and the GPS was wrong.”
Will is now 20 and works in sales, living away from home.
Julia refuses to use apps with his brothers Ally, 15, Eric, 12, and Bear, nine.
“The older two have phones and I trust them to tell me where they will be, text back when I send a message and get home on time,” she says.
“Using a tracker is like telling them ‘I don’t trust you’ from day one.
“Nor does it foster the in- dependence and confidence they need as adults.
“I think teenagers are entitled to a private life, just like we had.”
‘They asked to play high-tech hide-and-seek’
FAB Daily writer Alex Lloyd, 42, from York, tested AirTags with sons Ralph, seven, and Max, four, on a family holiday to Croatia. She says:
“The boys are energetic, often racing off. So I find busy places stressful.
“But the idea of tagging felt extreme and I was dubious as I hooked tags to the kids’ rucksacks before travelling to Leeds-Bradford Airport.
“The AirTags were simple to set up and the boys liked picking out their avatars for the Find My app.
“Once safely in Croatia, I put their tags on to ribbons to wear around their necks.
“They liked them and asked if we could use them to play a high-tech hide-and-seek.
“We also gave our eldest the freedom to go off with friends to the kids’ club, knowing we could find him.
“But it was a bind to remember to tag the boys and they weren’t waterproof at the pool or beach.
“Nor did I really look at my phone to see where the kids were as the resort felt so safe.
“Since we’ve returned, the tags have stayed in the drawer.
“I might use them next time we visit a theme park but I’m more likely to put them on my keys.”