We write as a coalition of psychologists, doctors, nurses and other health professionals, deeply concerned about the growing trend of tracking children through smartphones and GPS-enable devices. 

As tech companies become ever more skilled at capturing young children as customers, the  norm of tracking our children is rapidly embedding. We believe this has a range of unintended consequences, and can negatively impact children’s mental health, autonomy and resilience. 

We urge all parents to pause on tracking, and to reconsider whether the surveillance childhood we are sleepwalking into is really benefitting our children. 

Tracking tells children that the world is unsafe

Every parent worries about their children’s whereabouts as they start to step out into the world independently. Overcoming this anxiety is a rite of passage for both parents and children.   Tracking deprives us of this natural development and breeds anxiety - for parents and children - because when we track our children, we are implicitly telling them that the world is unsafe. If parents need to know their precise geographical location at all times, the logical conclusion for a child to reach is that the world must be a very dangerous place. 

There is no evidence that the world has become more dangerous - indeed crime in the UK has fallen in the last ten years. There is evidence that carrying an expensive device in their pockets makes children less safe - especially when the tracking device is a smartphone, which makes them more likely to be mugged or to get distracted and step out into moving traffic. (One in five children have been hit or narrowly missed by a vehicle whilst on their smartphone.) Furthermore, apps like Snapchat can reveal a user's precise location to friends and even strangers if they have not set up the appropriate privacy settings - making them more vulnerable to predators. 

Tracking prevents children from learning how to be truly independent 

Maintaining an invisible umbilical cord between parent and child, undermines a child's ability to develop a sense  of autonomy. Countless psychological studies have found that autonomy is one of the most basic psychological needs, and that environments high in surveillance or control compromise intrinsic motivation and social development. By constantly monitoring our children, we risk impacting their psychological wellbeing. We also risk preventing them from learning vital real-life skills, such as learning how to find a safe place and ask for help, and knowing what to do in an emergency without a smartphone - skills they will need to thrive as confident, functioning adults. 

Tracking drives the belief that children need smartphones

Tech companies tap into our deepest parental fears with messaging that tracking makes children safer. This psychological, profit-driven manipulation  motivates parents to buy smartphones for their children despite overwhelming evidence showing that the younger a child gets a smartphone, the worse their mental health will be. Delaying smartphones for as long as possible is essential. A simple, non-internet enabled phone is more than enough for a child to stay in touch on the journey to and from school. 

A Call for a Collective Pause

So many of the challenges young people face today took root because society did not pause to question new norms. The spread of smartphones and social media happened quietly, without time for reflection or regulation, and our children are now bearing the consequences.

Tracking is the next unquestioned norm. It is time to pause, reflect, and re-examine what this surveillance culture is doing to childhood. 

At a time when the real world is safer than ever, we urge parents to pause on tracking—and give children the space to develop the independence and resilience they need to grow into confident, fully-functioning adults. 

Your sincerely,

A coalition of health professionals