Parental Control Apps Gain Attention as Child Safety Tools
Dramatic Rescue Achieved Just 12 Minutes After Missing Person Report
With the help of parental control features that allow parents to check their children's locations via smartphone, a series of incidents have occurred in the United States where abducted teenagers were quickly rescued. On December 29, Yonhap News, citing NBC and Fox News, reported that these incidents, in which teenagers were rescued through location tracking, have drawn attention to parental control features as important safety tools.
Parental control features like these play a crucial role in checking children's real-time locations and enabling rapid rescue. In addition to manufacturers' built-in functions such as Apple's Find My, Google's Family Link, and Samsung's Find, various third-party apps that can be installed regardless of the smartphone manufacturer are also widely used. Pixabay
The first incident took place in Montgomery County, Texas. On Christmas Day, December 25, a 15-year-old girl did not return home after taking her dog for a walk, prompting her family to report her missing. The girl's father used the parental control feature set up on her smartphone to confirm that her location was in a remote wooded area about 3.2 kilometers from home. He went directly to the scene and found his daughter with an unfamiliar man. The father was able to safely rescue his daughter and reported the incident to the police. According to the investigation, the arrested suspect, Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, 23, is accused of abducting the girl at knifepoint and attempting to sexually assault her. The victim is reportedly recovering with her family.
A similar case occurred earlier this month in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Shortly after a 15-year-old girl was reported kidnapped, her family used the smartphone-based location tracking app Life360 to determine her real-time location and provided this information to the police. Police apprehended the suspect and rescued the victim approximately 12 minutes after receiving the report.
Parental control features like these play a crucial role in checking children's real-time locations and enabling rapid rescue. In addition to manufacturers' built-in functions such as Apple's Find My, Google's Family Link, and Samsung's Find, various third-party apps that can be installed regardless of smartphone manufacturer are also widely used. Safety experts note that parental control features can help parents manage their children's safety in everyday life and serve as a means for rapid response in emergencies.
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