I was just at one of my girlfriends houses, relaxing in between classes when I saw a commercial for some gps locator (I can't remember which brand. sorry) that was designed to keep parents informed and teenage drivers safe, because the car would alert the parents if the kids went outside of the boundaries. Now, maybe it's because I'm only 21, dont have kids, blah blah blah, but this just seems wrong. Because whose making sure that it isnt abusive members of a relationship, or stalkers placing this gps locator on the vehicles? My dad and I have placed locators on our offroad vehicles when we're in the woods in case they break down and have to bail, all you do is stick the locator to a protected (hidden) part of the car. I guess it just scares me. How do you feel?
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Keep your kids safe?!.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/9170
Weekly Feministing Newsletter
Feministing RSS Feed
I kind of think that any parent who would do that to their kid has some control issues, but I would understand in the case of a really out of control teenager. But you and your Dad have gotten some really legit use out of them, and it seems like they'd be really great if the car was stolen.
I don't think it's a good idea to stop selling something just because it might be abused. Most spur-of-the-moment murders are committed in kitchens, because there are so many available weapons. Does that mean steak knives should be illegal?
I wish I had that device while raising my son in L.A. (not a community strong city) as a single mom.
Unless you are getting vibes from your kid that something is not right I believe in trusting them and not snooping through their diary or resorting to tactics such as this. I agree that it also has a large and somewhat troubling potential for misuse. I think when you have a product that you can predict that some people are going to use to harm others that you need to consider if the benefits are going to outweigh the negatives. In this case I think there are better answers... Also, that aside, how much do you want to bet that this gets stuck on more daughters' cars than sons'? I bet Hulk Hogan would have loved one of these...