A growing number of mothers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are placing Apple AirTags in their children's backpacks or attaching them to bracelets. They claim that these small gadgets give them a sense of peace of mind during trips to school, on bus routes, and during excursions.
According to these parents, the main purpose of using trackers is not constant monitoring of every moment of the child's life. Rather, it is a way to reduce anxiety that may arise, especially when a young child begins traveling to school independently by bus for the first time.
Mariam, one of the mothers, shared her experience: 'I put one in my daughter's bag when she was in KG1. I was very worried about the bus. It reassured me to see that she had left school and was heading there.'
Fatima noted that this feeling of anxiety is most pronounced regarding the eldest child. She added, 'I think it is usually the first child. After that, mothers get used to it.'
Another mother, Noor, reported that she attached an AirTag to her son's wrist when he was in the first grade and plans to do so again this academic year. Aisha also finds the device useful because her child uses the school bus and attends school trips.
Apple positions AirTags as devices for locating items such as keys and backpacks, not as specialized tools for child safety.
However, Dr. Alexander Machado, a senior clinical neuropsychologist and specialist in advanced neuromodulation at Medicare Royal Specialty Hospital, warns that this trend may indicate a deeper issue—adult attempts to cope with their own anxiety through continuous surveillance.
Dr. Machado stated: 'We must stop treating children like tracked baggage. To raise capable, independent, and emotionally stable adults, we must be willing to endure discomfort by giving them the freedom to exist without constant observation.'
He emphasized that beyond the stated goal of safety, this practice can become part of an over-vigilant parenting style that leaves the child too little room to explore, make minor mistakes, and develop age-appropriate independence.
In Dr. Machado's opinion, regular monitoring may convey the harmful implicit message that the child is incapable of managing on their own, and that the world is inherently unsafe. He argues that over time, this can weaken confidence and emotional resilience.
Dr. Machado noted that families facing specific and abnormal threats, or living in areas with serious safety issues, may approach this differently. Nevertheless, he believes that in places he considers generally safe, including the UAE, the tracker may be related less to immediate child protection and more to alleviating uncontrolled adult anxiety.