The Blog
A Better Way to Keep Tabs on Teens
My friend Vanessa over at Radical Parenting recently announced a new iPhone app I think you guys are going to love. It's called iCurfew and it's TOTALLY worth the $0.99 she's charging. As its name implies, it provides a super easy way for kids and parents to check in with each other remotely. Kids simply use iCurfew to send their exact, real-time location to their parents in an email. Why is this amazing? Lots of reasons, but I'll pick two: 1) it means parents no longer have to worry, wondering if their kids are really out where they say they are; and 2) it helps build trust and encourage open communication. This isn't a microchip you embed in a teen's neck or a GPS tracking device they wear on their ankle like someone on house arrest. It's an accountability and communication tool that requires responsibility and mutual participation. Very cool.
Plus, even if you don't have a teen or aren't losing sleep wondering if they're lying to you about where they were last night, iCurfew makes it really easy for you to send your location to a friend. Maybe you're meeting at a restaurant, or you're out somewhere or don't want to send your home address; just send them your location using iCurfew and they'll receive a map directly to you, wherever you are! (Really handy for pick-ups!) You can read more about the app here...or by visiting the iTunes Store and searching for iCurfew.
// josh
Josh Shipp is the host of the TV Show JUMP SHIPP, author of “The Teen’s Guide to World Domination” and was recently named to INC. Magazine’s 30 under 30 list of successful entrepenuers. He has spoken to more than one million people live across the world.
