How Wearable Technology Keeps Our Children Safe

I’m sure majority of people have visited a popular restaurant and witnessed other families dining, maybe celebrating a birthday or enjoying their weekend. No matter the occasion I’m almost positive that you’ve also seen a child under the age of 10 glued to an iPad – completely cut off from any family discussion while also causing a scene if told to turn it off.

Even though I’m not a parent myself, I can imagine it being hard to make decisions around young children using technology. Within my own family, my cousins either had no technology at all until high-school age (myself and my older cousins), or all the latest technology with little to no limits (typically my younger cousins). This is where wearable technology comes in – as it enables safety and connection, without the limitless distractions of an iPad or iPhone.

Enabling a child to use a device such as an Apple Watch allows parents to send/receive text messages and calls from their children, while tracking location to ensure safety. This is a great win-win situation as children are still enforced to play traditionally, while also feeling safely connected to their parents.

Luckily the ‘IoT’ (Internet of Things) over the past 10 years has allowed stronger connections to reach smaller devices. This is possible through the developments in ‘Big Data’ analytics, with the industry set to rise ‘”4.5 times by 2025″ (Valente, 2020).

Despite seeming like a ‘reverse’ move for technology, as the recent focus for tech companies like Apple being bigger and better screens, ‘glanceable’ technology is a perfect fit for our younger (and older) generations that would potentially detriment from an overexposure to the internet.

Would you feel safer letting your child venture off, knowing how easy they can be contacted or traced? Leave your thoughts below.