How to Use your Mobile as a Child Locator

How many times have you read, or at least caught a headline, of the latest high profile missing child case? How many stories have we heard about the kid who got lost on a hike? His body was found several miles from where he'd been last seen, concluding a several-day search.

What if he had had an iPhone on his person at the time he wandered off in the middle of some vast woods? Sure he could call, but then what? Android and iPhones have a "find my phone" feature that a parent can track down a lost child with—provided that this feature is enabled.

• At android.com/devicemanager log onto the Android Device Manager page. The parent must also know the password and name for the Google account that is associated with this tracking feature.

• You'll see Android hardware's location, which is stored in the phone attached to the lost child, on a map.
• Obviously, you must have your own mobile device on you to locate.
• This feature works for older kids too, such as your young teen daughter on her first date. She's 20 minutes past her curfew and she's not answering her mobile. Time to locate her.
• You can set up a restricted profile that blocks the teen's access to the "settings" application, or, you can use a parental control app.
• There are locator apps also compatible with the iOS phone too.

Do you have an elderly relative who's not all there upstairs and prone to wandering off? Most phones are compatible with affordable ($6 to $15 a month) applications that can give you the location of your family member. Family locator apps are offered by T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

Locator apps also come with other features, not just the locator aspect. Some offer 911 and emergency features. This would be great for your elderly grandmother who forgets things or gets lost easily.