3 ms·

>I can only guess you (and most of the other naysayers in this thread) don't have young children. or they don't hail from a culture where helicopter parenting

>I can only guess you (and most of the other naysayers in this thread) don't have young children. or they don't hail from a culture where helicopter parenting has become the norm. Here in Germany tracking your kids like this would be widely seen as completely bizarre. There's a great Japanese TV show, called Old Enough, (that has been running for 30 years, long before smartphones existed), where kids as young as 2 and 4 run off and navigate public transport and do daily errands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UA1kd72sbg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UA1kd72sbg

IncreasePosts 2y ago
The show only exists because the parents accept that their kid is safe due to the camera crew. There's a reason they don't just strap a gopro to the 2 year old and plop them on a bus, and you will not see 2-4 year olds by themselves in Japan, or almost any nation.
- Barrin92 2y ago
  Sure, the tiniest kids are on the show because it's funny and adorable but it doesn't really change the general point. I've lived in Tokyo and you see elementary school aged kids 6, 7 years old alone all the damn time. When I was in elementary school I was off on my bike every day. This is normal in much of the world. And there weren't any trackers. And that's actually important, because being on your own without the safety net is what builds confidence.
  - IncreasePosts 2y ago
    Okay, and if American parents are too afraid to let their children do this, isn't a tracker watch a good thing, because it will open them up to the possibility of letting their kids go out without them?
- tjpnz 2y ago
  You will see that in rural Japan.
kmeisthax 2y ago
Japan gets to have free-range children because they have functional public transit. We don't, so we don't. For what it's worth I'd also point out that the last time I was in Japan all the train stations had ads for transit cards for kids that e-mailed parents whenever they were used. This is functionally identical to American helicopter parenting, IMO.
nicolas_t 2y ago
A few things to note on Japan and kids walking around. Usually you don't see children that are less than 5-6 years old walking around doing daily errands. When it's children that are younger it's usually with the parent walking a few meters behind to monitor what the child is doing. And, Japan had special usage phones for children that would track their location even back in 2004. I lived there back then and I know a few parents who used that for their young children. So, yes children are allowed to freely roam around at an early age which is great but Japanese parents are not adverse to tracking.

IncreasePosts 2y ago

The show only exists because the parents accept that their kid is safe due to the camera crew. There's a reason they don't just strap a gopro to the 2 year old and plop them on a bus, and you will not see 2-4 year olds by themselves in Japan, or almost any nation.

Barrin92 2y ago
Sure, the tiniest kids are on the show because it's funny and adorable but it doesn't really change the general point. I've lived in Tokyo and you see elementary school aged kids 6, 7 years old alone all the damn time. When I was in elementary school I was off on my bike every day. This is normal in much of the world. And there weren't any trackers. And that's actually important, because being on your own without the safety net is what builds confidence.
- IncreasePosts 2y ago
  Okay, and if American parents are too afraid to let their children do this, isn't a tracker watch a good thing, because it will open them up to the possibility of letting their kids go out without them?
tjpnz 2y ago
You will see that in rural Japan.

kmeisthax 2y ago

Japan gets to have free-range children because they have functional public transit. We don't, so we don't. For what it's worth I'd also point out that the last time I was in Japan all the train stations had ads for transit cards for kids that e-mailed parents whenever they were used. This is functionally identical to American helicopter parenting, IMO.

nicolas_t 2y ago

A few things to note on Japan and kids walking around. Usually you don't see children that are less than 5-6 years old walking around doing daily errands. When it's children that are younger it's usually with the parent walking a few meters behind to monitor what the child is doing. And, Japan had special usage phones for children that would track their location even back in 2004. I lived there back then and I know a few parents who used that for their young children. So, yes children are allowed to freely roam around at an early age which is great but Japanese parents are not adverse to tracking.