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ARGUS COMMENT: Tag over the top (From South Wales Argus)
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ARGUS COMMENT: Tag over the top
10:40am Wednesday 7th January 2009
A GPS locator device designed to be worn by children will go on sale in this country in March.
Concerned parents will be able to receive text or email updates, accurate to within 10ft of their child's location.
The device, called a Nu.M8, is thought to be the world's first GPS locator specifically designed to be worn by children and can be concealed within a digital watch.
It can be securely fastened to a child's wrist and will trigger an alert if forcibly removed.
We know this will put a lot of parents’ minds at rest.
But we don’t believe we yet live in a society where we gave to tag our children whenever they leave the house.
Children are wrapped in cotton wool these days.
They do miss out on special childhood memories because of over-protective parents.
We’re not saying parents shouldn’t be worried.
Far from it.
But let’s not all fall into the marketing trap of some company which wants you to splash out £150 on a device for your child.
Sure, there will be a market for it.
But we’re not convinced society has reached a level where every parent needs one of these things for their child.
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Your Say YourGwent
D.G., Newport says...
11:53am Wed 7 Jan 09
Javez, Crosskeys says...
1:04pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Newport Dave, Newport says...
1:25pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Argus reporter, put your name to this piece of trash if you aren't too ashamed of it. Or perhaps you only write these things to be controversial?
You wrote: "Children are wrapped in cotton wool these days."
Have you ever seen what having a child abducted actually does to a parent? Ask someone who has had first hand experience of this about it. I promise you that if you put this disgusting point of view face to face to a mother or father who have lost a child to this, you will be lucky to walk away alive.
If my child hadn't returned home and was several hours late (especially after dark) I would be VERY VERY happy to be able to find out where he was.
This is a brilliant idea, no matter how many people call you a "control freak", with the lunatics, paedophiles and scum that freely roam our society, we should be thankful that such a device exists.
To those who seem to think that it's only for making sure your kid isn't buying chips, I pray that this attitude never comes back to bite you (or one of your loved ones) in the @rse.
The sceptics and freedom fighters can pretend its being used for whatever they want, but even if it only helps in ONE child abduction case, then it has been a 100% success.
Howie', Newport says...
3:07pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Newport Dave, Newport says...
3:07pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Javez wrote:Since when has child abduction had anything to do with free will?
I'm with DG on this one. There are far more sensible and practical options to ensure safety - options which involve the chiolds involvement, and them thinking and yet still having free will. They aren't possessions to be tagged and ID'd - they are people.
I wish people would clear their minds of this insane idea that it is just a device for spying on your own kids.
This device has a purpose. That purpose is a very good one. If you don't want to use it that is up to you, but stop thinking that the whole country just want to spy on their children to make sure they don't go down the chippie.
Regardless of what some people may use it for, if this device helps in even ONE case of a missing child, then it has been a huge success.
Newbridge, Newbridge says...
3:27pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Newport Dave wrote:Absolutely correct ND. Typical reactionary horse-s**t from the Argus again. Firstly this device is a digital watch with a gps tracker built in, and not "a GPS locator specifically designed to be worn by children and can be concealed within a digital watch". This can easily be seen by searching the phrases Nu.M8 or Lok8U. Do some proper research Argus.
Javez wrote: I'm with DG on this one. There are far more sensible and practical options to ensure safety - options which involve the chiolds involvement, and them thinking and yet still having free will. They aren't possessions to be tagged and ID'd - they are people.Since when has child abduction had anything to do with free will? I wish people would clear their minds of this insane idea that it is just a device for spying on your own kids. This device has a purpose. That purpose is a very good one. If you don't want to use it that is up to you, but stop thinking that the whole country just want to spy on their children to make sure they don't go down the chippie. Regardless of what some people may use it for, if this device helps in even ONE case of a missing child, then it has been a huge success.
Secondly, all to often we read about child obesity and that less children are being allowed out on their own due to parents fears about some of the lowlives that lurk in our society. If owning this device gives the parent the peace of mind to allow their child more freedom, then surely this is a good thing for the child?
Thirdly, about the cost. I know plenty of parents who spend a lot more than £150 on mobile phones, games consoles, ipods and TV/DVD players in kids bedrooms. Surely a device that allows them to get out of the house is more beneficial than a nation of 5-10 year old couch potatoes?
I'm sure there are a couple of Dr's in Leicestershire who would support such a device.
lisajo, newport says...
10:35pm Wed 7 Jan 09
lisajo, newport says...
10:39pm Wed 7 Jan 09
lisajo wrote:Ok didnt read all £150, Glad I only got 1 child.
Does anyone know the cost of these GPS Locator's? Most likely they will be that expensive that only the rich will be able to afford them. I'm not saying its a bad Idea, but do you really believe that they will be reliable? especially as they would need a signal to operate, Wont they? The argus do owe an apology with saying "parents wrap there kids up". We should wrap them up, to protect them. As you report everyday in yr paper that crime is on the up rise, kids are being stabbed on the street. When this country decides to take this SCUM of our streets then maybe we can let our children live a life away from fear of getting harmed leaving the house. Till then cotton wool all round for my son!
dead man walkin, cwmbran man says...
11:43pm Wed 7 Jan 09
Newbridge, Newbridge says...
8:55am Thu 8 Jan 09
dead man walkin wrote:It doesn't prevent building trusting relationships at all. Well, it does if you only like to see the negative in everything. You will still be able to impose the same boundaries on the child, only with the peace of mind that if they are late you can easily check up on their location to see where they are where they should be, and not in the back of some perverts car.
Sounds gimicky to me, you buy one for your kid so you can keep track of them, but if they want to get up to something and dont want you to know about it, surely they will just take them off, also its eroding the responsibilities of parents to build trusting relationships as telling your child where they can go and when you expect them home is a part of child development and a building block for them to show responsibility, also its a bit orwellian, youll be chaining them to the gatepost next.
It also can't be removed. Taken directly from the website:
"If the strap of your child's num8 is opened without your authority, an immediate alert is sent via SMS and email to warn you this has happened."
Stonebridge, says...
11:14am Thu 8 Jan 09
The child takes the watch off and runs away. You get a text message. That hardly helps does it? It tells you the watch has been removed. The kid has gone. The watch is no use now.
I'm in two minds on this...
It sounds, initially, like a good idea. I think the danger is that parents may be lulled into a false sense of security, and that the claims made for the device are exaggerated.
Newbridge, Newbridge says...
11:28am Thu 8 Jan 09
Newport Dave, Newport says...
12:07pm Thu 8 Jan 09
Let me simplify this for you:
If your child is going to run away from home, go out doing drugs, go on a crime spree or even have a sneaky bag of chips: THIS DEVICE IS NOT WHAT YOU NEED (unless you just want to spy on them).
The biggest worry for most parents is CHILD ABDUCTION, and THAT is what this device will be mostly used for.
dead man walkin, cwmbran man says...
1:57pm Thu 8 Jan 09
dead man walkin, cwmbran man says...
2:25pm Thu 8 Jan 09
Children killed by allergic reactions,over 150 per year in the usa, uk figures are hard to come by.
Children abducted per year uk,well no actual figures but plenty to suggest children are as safe today as they were 30 years ago, and apart from maddy, and james bulger im struggling for examples, the ones i can find are generally harmed by friends and family, so people you would feel comfortable letting your child be with without a tag.
D.G., Newport says...
6:08pm Fri 9 Jan 09
Sure, this device could have helped Maddy, but if a couple of hundred more parents decide that leaving toddlers unattended is OK because they've got the tag on, then the chances are that the number of toddlers killed in household accidents will rise accordingly.
clareNPT, Newport says...
12:49pm Tue 13 Jan 09
As for children being wrapped in cotton wool..... they are!!! Well, most parents would probably disagree.... we have no parks due to easy claim compensation if someone falls over etc. There is nowhere for the kids to go except walk around the streets, and with the amount of idiots on the road (could just be where I live) I wouldn't like my children playing on the streets anyway.
I suppose the next "great idea" will be to chip the children, like pet owners do for their cats / dogs
Javez, Crosskeys says...
1:46pm Tue 13 Jan 09
Your sayYour Gwent
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jilted john, newport gwent says...
11:12am Wed 7 Jan 09
Sorry if you’re blinded but this country is in a state that we need to wrap our kids in cotton wool.
So long as there is no harmful effect admitted of this device ill be getting one.
Be nice to log on to see if your Childs still `in school or in the back of a van to never never land .