Helicopter parents don’t have to hover over their precious charges to track their every move. They now have the option of popping a portable GPS into their kid’s backpack or signing up for an iPhone app, according to a Wired magazine-ABCNews.com piece. But while the high-tech devices may make parents feel better, they can also have parents obsessing about their child’s whereabouts.

Public relations specialist Courtney Goldberg says everyone in her family uses Google Latitude so they all know where they’re at 24-7. Her mom used it to watch her sister’s movements through Europe when she studied abroad for a semester. But it has its drawbacks. When Goldberg’s sister-in-law was tracked by her brother to a Soho neighborhood, he thought she was out shopping and e-mailed to ask what she was doing. I’m not shopping, came the reply, I’m on an interview.

"My mom isn’t invasive but she is very hands-on," Goldberg says. "I use it, too. Sometimes if my mother doesn’t answer the phone right away, I will track her."

Psychologist David Eigen activated a device on the cell phones of his two daughters when they were in middle school so he could keep track of their wanderings. "I felt that it was my job as a parent to know where they were every minute," he said. "Once I found out that everything was basically okay, I didn’t feel that I needed it anymore."

It can be costly to keep track of your kid electronically. A GPS unit can cost $350, plus a $15 monthly charge for a service subscription, says the ABCNews.com report. An iPhone can provide GPS, and apps such as Where the Flock (WTF) offer a person’s location. A monthly plan can cost $15.

There’s also the effect on a child of knowing he is being tracked. Michael McCann, president of an executive protection agency called McCann Protective Services, says the devices make sense for a child with special needs. But most of the time, they shouldn’t take the place of human, personal involvement, he says.

"I believe the devices can lead to alienation with a child, particularly as they become teenagers," he says. "We should monitor our children by knowing who their friends are and getting involved in their activities, rather than having them walking around with a GPS device. A tracking device should not replace the responsibilities and duties of a parent."

BY Rosemary Black
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER