Is there anything the latest cell phone can't do? It can record movies, surf the Web, and download the newest OutKast song. But don't let those fancy features fool you. Before you head for the mall, you may want to heed some ancient advice: Caveat emptor--Let the buyer beware!
After all, chances are that sweet cell has a Global Positioning System (GPS) chip. GPS lets cell phone companies determine the location of your phone at all times. GPS can come in handy; if you are hurt and call 911, rescuers can find you by using your phone's GPS.
But emergency officials aren't the only people interested in your whereabouts. Several new companies are monitoring teen drivers for inquisitive parents--and they're using cell phones equipped with GPS to do it.
The programs vary, but most allow parents to use the Internet to monitor their kids' locations, driving habits, and speed. Some programs even let parents set speed and location limits so that they are alerted if their kids drive too fast or go beyond a predetermined boundary.
Many parents say the programs are the best thing since air bags, but a lot of teens aren't convinced. They say the programs are an invasion of their privacy.
Safety First!
The number-one killer of teens isn't cancer, AIDS, or even the flu--it's car accidents. In 2001, more than 4,700 teens ages 16 to 19 died of car crash injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts say most teen accidents are caused by excessive speed or risky behavior.
Those deadly statistics require serious action, says Jack Church of the Teen Arrive Alive monitoring program. "I think a teen's safety takes precedence over privacy," he told reporters.
Supporters of monitoring say the programs also help if a teen is kidnapped or lost. Andrea Gutierrez uses a driving program to help her daughter get home. "I give her directions by looking at [the program's] online map, which shows me ... where she is."
Even kids admit that the programs are OK. Lee Parker, 11, told the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel he wouldn't mind being tracked. "It would be better than my parents calling me every two minutes to make sure I'm where I said I'll be."
Stop Spying!
Jeana Nichols, 17, says parents are forgetting one very important thing: trust. "I don't like the idea of someone using a device that keeps tabs on me," she told the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune.
Others say the information could be misused. If "everyone who works [at the company can] pinpoint the exact location of your 17-year-old girl at all times," it presents a potentially dangerous situation, attorney John Lawford told the Ottawa Citizen.
Alana Watenpuhl, 19, says teens can easily outsmart the programs. Teens "can always leave their cell phone somewhere and take off with friends. It's not like the chips are attached to their bodies," she told reporters. "But who knows?" she added. "That might be what's coming next."
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Get Talking
Tell students that some parents are using monitoring programs to track their children's driving speed and location. Ask: Why might parents be tracking their teens? How would you feel if your parents tracked you? How might it affect your relationship with them?
Background
* In 2000, teens made up 10 percent of the U.S. population and accounted of 14 percent of all car-related deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
* Per mile driven, drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to get into a car accident than drivers in any other age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
* In 2001, the car accident death rate for males ages 16 to 19 (19.7 per 100,000) was nearly twice that of their female counterparts (10.4 per 100,000).
* Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver, and drive after using alcohol or drugs, CDC statistics show.
* Teens also have the lowest rate of seat belt use, the CDC found. In 2001, 14 percent of high school students said they rarely or never wore seat belts when riding with someone else.
Doing More
Chances are that students will be against the monitoring devices. Share the driving statistics above with them. Then ask them to brainstorm ways that parents or local governments could help make teenagers better drivers without taking away all of their privacy.
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