Parental Tips

Tech or Treat?! Kids love Halloween where they can play dress up and roam the streets searching for the best candy. But once the sun goes down and the sugar kicks in, you don’t want your little ones to stray or get into dangerous situations. Before donning those costumes and planning your trick or treat route, be sure to download an app to help you keep track of your kids on Halloween, and keep them safe and sound.

5 Apps to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween

Life 360 – Teens want space but parents need to know where they are. Life 360 may be the most popular app to track children, and allows you on nights like Halloween, to invite a circle of friends to track as well. This app is great for the whole family to stay connected and know where everyone is, at all times.

Red Panic Button – The app will immediately send an SMS and an email containing your GPS coordinates in a Google Maps link to all your emergency contacts. If your child gets in trouble they just have to push the button on their screensaver.

Next Door – Nextdoor is great for scoping out crime statistics by address and getting real-time news in your neighborhood. You can find out which homes are handing out candy and even set up a neighborhood watch. But, if you’re trick-or-treating somewhere other than the neighborhood where you live, you’ll need to look for a different app.

Family Watchdog is a free website service to help locate registered sex offenders in your area. Or you can activate your smartphone’s GPS and connect to the National Sex Offender Registry to locate registered sex offenders and predators in the area. You can search by name, address,
and zip code, and results will be displayed on an interactive map. The site is free and easy to share with fellow parents to ensure your child’s trick-or-treat route is safe.

Glympse – Glympse is a fast, free and simple way to share your real-time location using GPS tracking, with any of your family or friends. It’s another way to see in real-time where your kids may be.

If your kids don’t have a mobile device, no problem! Parents who are Apple users can purchase Apple Air Tags. The tags are about the size of a quarter and can be placed in a pocket or in a holder that comes with a clip that can be attached anywhere. You can find a set of 6 plastic AirTag holders on Amazon for under $10.

While the holiday season is fun for kids of all ages, remember they will be in contact with more adults and strangers. So have fun, but always be safe, and know who your children are with at all times. Get more Halloween safety tips on our blog. We hope you have a happy and SAFE Halloween!