I used to slip an Apple AirTag into my children's backpacks, alongside their PE kit and water bottle, believing it was the right thing to do. They were just six and four. Keeping a constant eye on them made me feel in control. But rather than providing peace of mind, the tracker turned me into a neurotic and paranoid mother, constantly checking my phone for location updates.
If I couldn't spot Lola, now nine, or Liberty, seven, for a second in the park, I would catastrophise it as a kidnapping and ping the AirTag. The devices also began to instil fear in my children. They questioned why they had these mini discs in their bags, asking, 'Are we unsafe, Mummy? Why are you tracking us?' This was at the start of 2025, after using them on and off since 2022. I decided enough was enough; it was time to take a more free-range path of trust.
I had to rethink my approach, just as a group of health experts are now advising parents to do. Generation Focus, a campaign group aiming to make schools smartphone-free, has sounded the alarm with a letter signed by 74 professionals. They claim tracking is an extension of damaging helicopter parenting, breeding anxiety in children and undermining their ability to develop autonomy and learn vital real-life skills, such as finding a safe place and asking for help in an emergency.
Although there is no scientific proof yet that tracking children is harmful, numerous studies link helicopter parenting to anxiety. Recent research published in Development and Psychology in 2025 found that helicopter parenting amplified stress in first-year college students. This parenting style, where controlling parents 'hover' over their children, micromanaging their every move, is exactly what tracking feeds into, potentially causing anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.
