New mobile service 'key to keeping children safe'

A MOBILE phone service which pinpoints a child’s location has been hailed as a useful way to protect youngsters from paedophiles.

Adults will be able to see the location of their child to within a kilometre on a detailed street map sent to their mobile phones.

The KidsOK service uses mobile phone masts to trace the whereabouts of a child.

The service is available to Vodafone, Orange, 02 and T-Mobile customers, although the master mobile must be a picture phone in order to receive the full map service.

But mobile phone users who do not have that facility will still be able to receive detailed text messages.

The technology takes advantage of mobiles communicating around every minute with the nearest mast regardless of whether a call is taking place.

An adult texts the word Ping and then a secret user name to the KidsOK service, which then asks the service provider for the map co-ordinates of the last mast a child’s phone communicated with.

A detailed circular map showing roads, railway stations and green areas within one kilometre in towns and 15km in the countryside is then sent to the user.

Michele Elliot , director of child safety charity Kidscape, said: "Parents will have greater peace of mind when their child agrees to be located by his or her mobile phone.

"In some cases, a child location may actively reduce the risk of a child being abused or abducted."

Richard Jelbert, co-founder of KidsOK, said: "Many children dislike the embarrassing intrusion of a call or text when they are with friends.

"But research shows they like the idea of parents being able to know where they are and will in most cases participate willingly."