Options for tracking your child’s location as busy school schedules begin

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Back to school also means back to extracurriculars. If your kids are constantly on the go and you want to know where they are, you might consider tracking their locations. There are many options for tracking locations with your child’s phone.

“Find My iPhone in the family sharing is a great option and it works between all the devices you can utilize it for cellular watches, you can use it on iPads, and you can use it on phones,” Senior Sales Representative at Cellcom in Wausau Steven Schweiger said.

If your child is too young for a phone, this feature can also be used on Apple watches or air tags, which you can buy holders for like bracelets or necklaces, or you could just slip it into a pocket.

If families have a mixture of different devices like Apple, Samsung, and Android, Schweiger recommends the app 360 Back in Track. “Each member is given driving reports, battery life updates and more,” Schweiger said.

Being able to track a child’s location often brings peace of mind to many parents… but it also could increase stress levels since it could also lead parents to feel as though they constantly need to check in on their child.

Behavioral Health Social Worker Maggi Rocha said it’s also important to consider how your child might feel about it.

“Bring that child into that conversation, it gives them more of a sense of control and independence. It doesn’t feel so much as something that’s happening to them, it’s something that you guys are making a collective decision together for safety,” Rocha said.

Rocha said to set boundaries from the beginning and talk to them about which situations you will be checking their location.

“It’s important right for your child’s development actually to have that sense of privacy and it’s important for your health as a parent right for your mental health to be able to feel like you can trust your child,” Rocha said.

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