this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2025
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[–] BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org 40 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

I'm not concerned with tracking where my kids are with these, but tracking their shoes sounds kinda useful. Average daily conversation in my house:

"Where are you shoes?"
"I don't know?"
"You were just in the middle of putting them on!?!!"
"Yeah but... I can't find them now."
"How? You had them in your hands?!?"
"That was, um, before I got distracted."
"*sigh* Let's go try and find them."
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[–] qupada@fedia.io 88 points 5 days ago (2 children)

"Surveillance-minded" (hereafter, "Helicopter") parents were almost certainly already doing that.

It just required a sharp knife and a tube of contact adhesive previously.

[–] Ugurcan@lemmy.world 12 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I was under the impression this is the main selling point of AirTags. Is there a real market for tracking lost luggage? I see AirTags being sold in every Kid’s store around here.

[–] Shelbyeileen@lemmy.world 18 points 5 days ago (7 children)

My dog has one on her collar. She got lost once, after chasing a squirrel, so it was a no brainer. The cool thing is that you can make it go off, by pressing a button, and train the dog to come to you when it chirps. I hope I never need to use it in an emergency, but it's good to know I'm prepared.

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I have one in a very well hidden pocket in my backpack. Because it’s my gig bag, and goes with me when I’m working in the field. If I were just leaving it under my desk all day, I wouldn’t bother. But since it often ends up sitting in the corner of a random room while I run around a building, it has an AirTag buried in it.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 16 points 5 days ago

Some shoes even already had compartments in them and came with a toy car that fit in there

[–] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 37 points 5 days ago (2 children)

A lot of people don't know this, but you can put your weed in there.

[–] rozodru@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

ah yes the old "hide your weed in the back of your PS2/under your Gamecube" method.

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[–] JustARaccoon@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Seems like an ok idea until you realise you could just give them a key chain, or put it in the small pocket in their trouser if you think they'll lose it. That way you don't have to buy into a whole ecosystem of shoes with a slot that fits an airtag.

[–] Guidy@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Parents worry about their kids. All mammals I've ever heard of do this. So when you tell human parents that they can have a better chance of finding their kids if their kids are missing, injured, or abducted, that's going to appeal.

I don't believe it's about sUrVeIlLaNcE at all.

[–] LordWiggle@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

Maybe good in a country that has barily any walking or cycling infrastructure, where every idiot has a gun and where all the biggest serial killers originate from. And where recently your kid can be kidnapped by unmarked unrecognizable fake police and sent to a concentration camp in El Salvador without any legal process.

But when you live in a first world country, your 8 year old should be able to go to school by bike on his own without issues what so ever, would never be kidnapped and would be brought home by a concerned neighbor when he falls and get injured. And would never get lost. You don't need an air tag for that. I've even seen kids go to school on their own in Cambodia without issues. They have over 40 different deadly snakes including 6 types of cobras.

When you treat a kid as an irresponsible criminal and/or idiot, that's what they will become.

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[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

be kid

find this in your shoe

get idea

catch seagull

tie airtag to its foot.

go see mom having a fit

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The Simpsons already did it.

[–] bcgm3@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago

Kids have a distinct advantage in this ongoing consumer tech war between parents and kids.

I don't use TikTok, but I'd be pretty surprised if this wasn't already starting to trend there, along with ideas for where to put the airtags to fool parents.

Maybe just... talk to your kids?

[–] ToiletFlushShowerScream@lemmy.world 54 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This reminds me of an episode of Black Mirror that I can't remember the name of.

[–] Zikeji@programming.dev 28 points 5 days ago (1 children)
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[–] LordWiggle@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Wait. Parents now put airtags in kids their weed compartment?

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

When the kids find the “hidden” compartments immediately and swap their tags around.

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 6 points 4 days ago

Parent: "Why does Billy keep going to his friend's house in the other county?"

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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 24 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Just give them a phone. Then at least they get something they want with it, instead of ugly shoes.

[–] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Young children should absolutely not have a phone, unless I suppose it's completely locked down to chat apps and the tracking I suppose...

[–] KoalaUnknown@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

My little sister has a phone I set up for her. It has no internet browser, requires permission to download apps, no voicemail, blocks unknown callers, and turns off at 9pm with the exception of contacting family or emergency services.

Phones can be safe for kids if parent just put in the time to learn about parental safety systems and implement them.

[–] sykaster 14 points 5 days ago (4 children)

More and more governments issue warning about the effects of screens on baby, toddler, and child brain development. The age the Netherlands puts forward now is 14 to have a smartphone, and no screens or very limited until 3 years of age.

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[–] rozodru@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (2 children)

showing my age but when I was a kid during the summer or on weekends I'd be out of the house all day and just where ever in my town. My parents didn't care as long as I was either home for dinner or by the time the street lights came on. and if I wasn't home for dinner I had to find a phone and call not because my parents would be worried but so they either wouldn't have to cook as much or set out a plate for me.

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[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 20 points 5 days ago (1 children)

"Can"? Were they physically unable to before?

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 17 points 5 days ago (3 children)

It is likely more that they are designed to have AirTags with special compartments.

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[–] sk1nnym1ke@piefed.social 18 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The peak of evolved kids shoes are those with wheels on the heels ("Heelys")

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[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Ehgh these days that's not terrible

[–] Auth@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I swear these are apple guerrilla marketing articles. Air tags in the shoe is so stupidly expensive for the task.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If you need to spy on your kids to keep tabs on them, you're a shitty parent. You should be able to discuss enabling Find My (assuming they have an iPhone) on their phone and why that's required (by you) openly.

Too many inept people have children. That's a large part of why society is in such decline.

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Too many inept people have children.

The USA is forcing women to have kids.

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[–] wavebeam@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Hey asshole, special needs kids are big and strong and smart enough to get themselves out in the world and need ways to get to them to keep them safe. There are plenty of reasonable reasons for tracking tech for your kid that aren’t helicopter parenting.

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[–] Soapbox@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

This is obviously for little kids, not teenagers sneaking out.

As a parent with small children, a subtle fear of them getting lost or kidnapped is always at the back of the mind.

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