When Apple launched AirTag in 2021, it emphasized that the product was only for objects and should not be used to track children or pets. However, many people are still attaching AirTags to their pets, children, and even elderly people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
According to iMore , Apple's Vice President of iPhone Marketing Kaiann Drance and Senior Director of Sensors and Connectivity Ron Huang emphasized that users should think carefully before attaching AirTags to anything they want to track. However, Apple did not specify why they gave such advice. Many speculate that it could be due to technical limitations or simply that Apple does not want to face the risk of being sued if AirTags malfunction.
Parents are concerned that owning a phone too early will expose children to inappropriate content, but they still want to track their child's location to ensure safety. AirTag becomes a perfect solution for them.
Its compact size and $29 price tag make AirTag a top choice for parents looking for a tracking device.
Stephanie Chin, who lives in Virginia (USA), is one example. Because her 8-year-old daughter is too young to use a phone, this mother chose to attach an AirTag to her backpack to easily track her daughter's location. Speaking to The Washington Post , Sandi Bourbeau said she only used the AirTag to track her 13-year-old son for three months before he switched to using a cell phone to communicate with his family.
Professor Peter Gray, a researcher in psychology and neuroscience at Boston University (USA), stated that over the past four to five decades, children have lost much more freedom than before. To protect their children from danger, parents often don't allow them to walk to school, use public transportation, or play in the park without adult supervision. This excessive control and monitoring can lead to anxiety and depression in children, and make it difficult for them to make decisions about their own lives, Gray added.
For journalist Tara Mendola, both of her children agreed to wear AirTags, so Mendola believes the product increases freedom and protects children, rather than controlling them.
Parents choose to use AirTag to track their children because it's much cheaper than the Apple Watch, easy to carry, and has a battery life of up to a year. However, it's worth noting that AirTag's location tracking is less accurate and updates more slowly, which is inconvenient in emergencies. The device also lacks its own cellular connectivity and needs to be near other Apple devices to locate it on a map. If the child lives in a sparsely populated area or has few iPhone and iPad users, AirTag may not be able to provide accurate and timely location updates.
Instead, the tech giant recommends that users use the Apple Watch for better monitoring of young children thanks to its location tracking capabilities, messaging support, and calling features.
Source link
Comment (0)