How smartphone can help find missing children

Technology has made it possible for parents to track the movement of their children. This can prevent the children from getting lost or find them, if they are missing. Below are some useful features for this purpose:

 Lassy Project

The goal of Lassy Project, according to www.parents.com, is to minimise the amount of time it takes to send out an alert that your child has gone missing. Unlike the Amber Alert, Lassy Project provides an image of the missing child and a real time map showing the coordinates of the child’s last known location. It works in seconds, not hours, and only alerts relevant people in the immediate area (the app is free on iPhone, iPad, Android).

Find my kids – footprints

Using the GPS in real time, this app helps you keep track of and automatically locate where your child goes with his phone. For instance, if he is travelling alone, you can confirm that he has arrived at a specific destination, or if he is meeting up with friends, they can confirm each other’s locations.

Location information is never shared with anyone else beyond those who have permission to see it, and the data is saved for a later review.

Even though the app is free, parents will need a subscription for the tracking feature. Download is free but the service requires a monthly fee on iPhone and iPad.

 Missing child alerts

Missing child alerts mobile app can be found on Google Play Store. It helps notify and rapidly spread the word through social media when a child goes missing.

*Simply download the app and choose your state – that is it! You will automatically receive updates when a new child goes missing in your state.

*Click the “Settings” tab to change your state.

 Sygic family

Sygic family keeps your family safe by allowing you to check the real-time location and the battery levels of your family members’ smartphones. You can also track your children’s whereabouts, or have them checked periodically to let you know where they are and if they have arrived at their destinations safely.

The app also has an in-built messaging system, which lets you send messages for free over an Internet connection. You can also set ‘Safe or Unsafe zones’ – a notification will be sent to you when they enter or leave these zones. There is also an SOS button available in this app, which lets you send out your exact location at the touch of a button.

 Life360

Life360 has the GPS locations of your family members via their smartphones, a panic button, and alerts when someone enters a preset zone (for instance, gets home). It also lets you check where they have been (location history); where to get help in an emergency (hospitals, police stations), and allows you to have group chats.

Google Latitude

Google Latitude is less of an app but more of a tracking tool. It allows you to see where your family members are on a map. To use it, go to Google Latitude and start adding your family members via their Gmail contacts. When they accept, you can see their locations on Google Map on your phone.

Their locations will be at the background even when the app is closed or when your smartphone is locked. The app is not restricted to family members; you can use it to check just about anyone’s whereabouts, provided they are on Google Latitude.

 MobileKids

This is a monitoring device that sends parents alerts when kids have been using their mobile phones in the middle of the night; when they add a new unrecognised contact, or when they download a new app.

Parents will also get statistics about their children’s mobile usage, which they can use to set usage limits (premium account).

There is still the much sought-after location feature, with a slight twist. With the SOS button and Check-in feature, the child can request their parents to track their movement live via the GPS tracking, something like remotely ‘walking’ them to their destination.

Punch