It doesn't matter what the statistics are. The moment your child isn't where it should be and is missing, all parents thoughts immediately jump to the worst case scenario of abduction and sexual abuse.

From the moment your child can walk it has the ability to go in the wrong direction. A few moments distraction for a parent paying for something at a mall checkout and the child can disappear.

Thankfully in the vast majority of cases it is just an innocent reason. The kid gets bored and wanders off to look at something more interesting and before long is lost. Once it happens, parents can feel the panic and fear almost at once.

So, what is a child tracking device and is it worth having one?

They are basically the same devices as used in so many cars now for navigation using the GPS system. These tiny devices can be attached to a child's clothing or hidden in their back packs. At any time the parent can activate the device from their cell phone and it reports back.

The kid tracking device receives signals from the GPS network, works out where it is and send that information to the parents phone to be displayed on an on-screen map.

It might seem to some people that this is all a little extreme if not a bit too much like Big Brother watching you. If it was operated by the state there would be certainly cause for concern but since it is operated only by the parents I see no problem with it.

The ability to instantly locate your child that has suddenly gone missing, failed to return from school on time or wandered off while on a shopping trip is something all parent would be glad off. The blind terror that strikes a parent when their child is missing grows by the minute and if the worst happens and the child has been abducted, locating the child quickly is vital.

I would certainly encourage any parent to look into buying a child tracking device to see what it can do for them and how it can remove the uncertainly and fear if their child went missing. It is even a suitable device for teenagers since they have a panic button that send out an alarm to parents if the kids ever feel they are in a dangerous situation.

By Steve Barker