Cell Phones Big Brother Would Love

Short of the applications of finding someone that needs a rescue, I simply can’t see myself getting into the whole GPS cell phone scene. Sorry, it’s just not going to happen.

The cell phone—few inventions in recent memory have done more to help teens circumvent adult authority. Wireless handsets have proved an invaluable tool for snatching a conversation with a forbidden friend, sending a text message about a keg party the next town over, and generally reassuring a concerned parent a kid is right where he’s supposed to be—even when he’s not.

But the truancy tables are turning. With new programs like Sprint’s (S) Family Locator, parents can use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to locate a child’s phone to within a few blocks. Verizon Wireless and Disney (DIS) Mobile are now getting into the act with comparable services.

As wireless technology has progressed, many of the advances have benefited kids, particularly when it comes to privacy. It gave them their own voicemail and the ability to send text or instant messages quickly and on the sly—be it from the backseat of the car, at the dinner table, or in the middle of class. Recent reports discuss a “silent ring-tone”—audible only to the sensitive ears of children—that pupils can use to receive calls without tipping off teachers…. Source: Business Week