Should You Use AirTags on Your Children?

AirTags are a great way to keep track of your items. But should you also use them to keep track of your child and help ensure their safety?

Many parents spare no expense to make sure that their children are safe.

For this reason, there's an increasing number of parents who have been looking for effective ways to track their children. One possible solution for the job is Apple's AirTag. While AirTags are designed to track items, many parents who use iPhones wonder if they're good for tracking children as well.

So, should you use AirTags to track your children? Let's find out.

Why AirTags Make Good Trackers for Children

If you're looking to add an AirTag to your child's wardrobe, here are some points you should consider before you attach it to your child.

It's Easy for Your Child to Carry an AirTag

With their small size and light weight, AirTags are easy to conceal.

Measuring 1.26 inches (3.20 cm) in diameter, each AirTag has a height of 0.31 inches (0.79 cm), which can fit into small spaces like backpacks or coat pockets fairly well. Without a case, the AirTag weighs 0.39 ounces (11.06g), which is light enough for most small children to carry with minimal effort.

AirTags Are Food-Safe

If your child likes to bite various objects, you'll be happy to know the AirTag is made of stainless steel. Stainless steel is a commonly used metal for many bowls, plates, and utensils, so it is guaranteed to be food-safe.

However, you should also consider the type of material in the case you will use to hold the device. While an AirTag is small enough for adults to ingest, it's not as easy for children to swallow, especially if it's in a case where your child cannot easily remove it.

AirTags Utilize the Find My Network

Aside from locating your children when they are in Bluetooth range, the AirTag's capabilities as a tracker are great if you live in densely populated areas like cities or big towns. Utilizing Apple's Find My network, an AirTag is capable of working offline and tracking your child as long as it is within proximity of any Apple device.

Additionally, the Find My network uses end-to-end encryption, which means no one else knows the identity of the participating devices.

AirTags Have a Long Battery Life

While the AirTag's batteries are not rechargeable, its CR2032 battery can last around a year before it needs replacement. With this, you don't have to worry about always having to charge the tracker before bringing your child to the playground, daycare, or school.

The Disadvantages of Using AirTags for Children

Before you attach an AirTag to your child, it's important to understand that it's still not a perfect solution. Here are a few disadvantages that you should be aware of.

AirTags Come With Anti-Stalking Features

To prevent malicious use, Apple included anti-stalking mechanisms within AirTags. If an AirTag is away from its paired device, it will begin to play a sound to alert nearby users of its existence. You have somewhere between eight and 24 hours before your AirTag plays a sound.

AirTag Alerts Give Their Presence Away

To discourage other people from tracking you, the Find My app will notify you if an unknown AirTag moves with you over time. While the AirTag alerts are a great deterrent from being stalked, the unknown AirTag alert can notify a potential kidnapper of its presence sooner than later.

Related: AirTags Precision Finding Not Working? Here Are Potential Fixes

AirTags Rely on iPhone Availability

Using the Find My network, you can effectively trace an AirTag within the proximity of any iPhone or Find My network-enabled device. If you plan to use the AirTag on your child for trips to the mountains or in sparsely populated areas, it won't be as effective due to the lack of nearby devices.

AirTags Have No Liability

Apple washes its hands of any liability in cases involving people. At its core, the AirTag is for objects, not children. For this reason, don't expect that you have any means to sue Apple in case you have problems tracking a child with an AirTag.

Tips on Using AirTags for Children

If you've decided to use AirTags to track your child, here are some tips to make the best out of it.

Have More Than One AirTag

If someone is actively looking for a tracker, they're almost always going to stop at the first one. Because it is not common practice to have more than a single AirTag on an item, having more than one can help decrease the chance of them all being found. In addition, having multiple AirTags can help protect your child in case they accidentally remove the first one.

Keep It Concealed

Aside from having more than one tracker, it's wise to conceal the AirTag as best you can. To accomplish this, choose to hide one in areas that people won't quickly notice or remove easily. If you have an extra one, place it in an obvious location, so a potential kidnapper assumes that they have already removed the sole tracker.

Train Your Child to Respond

While Apple does stringent quality testing, it's important to still test your AirTag before leaving it to do its job. In case of emergencies, it's important that both you and your child know how to act. Thus, it's smart to simulate the experience of using the AirTag in emergencies beforehand.

Ask for Help From Law Enforcement

If you are searching for your child who's carrying an AirTag, you should also let local law enforcement know about their disappearance. As much as possible, never search for your child alone, in case the situation becomes dangerous. Many communities have groups that can help identify your child based on appearance and descriptions.

Ensure You Have Consent From Your Child Before You Use an AirTag

When using any kind of tracker, it's always good to ask for consent from the person being tracked, even if it's your child. While you might think that toddlers and young children won't comprehend this, it helps to explain it in a way that they understand.

In addition, it might be helpful for children to know how to react when alerts happen and how they should move in case of emergencies. For example, they should do their best to conceal their AirTag from a bad person, or muffle the sound if the alarm rings before their parents can collect them.

For teenagers, it's important to discuss the proper boundaries and alternatives to tracking in general. It may be healthier to establish reasonable curfews, ask for updates on their location, and so on.

Lastly, there's a reason Apple does not market the AirTag for people. If you are not the legal guardian or parent of a child, you should not be tracking them at all. While it's useful for safety reasons, it's best to avoid using the AirTag on people without their knowledge in general.

Make Sure Both You and Your Child Both Understand AirTags

If you're looking for new ways to make sure your child is safe, AirTags could be a viable option for you to know where your child is at any given point.

But just because you can track doesn't mean that you should. Remember, it's never too early to teach about consent, especially concerning safety, security, and bodily autonomy.

There are positives and negatives if you want to use AirTags to track kids. So make sure both you and your child are clued-up on the device.

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