Ask HN: Please give your opinion on why no traction in child safety technology? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Please give your opinion on why no traction in child safety technology?

2 pointsjdileo6 comments

I recently moved 3K miles to silicon valley to launch a start-up. Unfortunately I am not a great technologist, my skill-set is sales/execution-(For reference purposes: I have founded 2 successful companies, the last all self funded and scaled to 90 employees>$15M revenues).

So, coming up with a viable technology idea I believe in has been challenging. Afer months of research/brainstorming I have an idea I love. Problem is that there are companies in the space and they seem to have very little traction.

The idea is to leverage hardware/software advancements to make sure all the world's children are safe from abduction & abuse. Why isn't there a well-designed (think if Apple did it) device, worn at the wrist or around the neck, that captures gps location, video and audio that is wirelessly uploaded to the cloud fo all children 0-15? The device would only be removed with key/combination. If otherwise attempted, email/cell phone alerts would immediately connect to parents. This device would: 1. Protect against child abduction. 2. Protect against abuse by child-care providers, black-sheep uncle, etc. 3. Serve as a life-recorder that could actually be stored and indexed.

The primary purpose and revnue model would be prevent child abduction and abuse....why wouldn't all parents want this? Apparently the current offerings don't excite because there are companies that exist that offer pieces of what is outlined above, eiter by gps wrist-device or chips injected into the skin. Based on my due diligence, it appears neither concept has an industry leader that is a household name or has achieved real traction.

Please submit your opinion as to why and if you think this is a good place to allocate start-up capital and resources. Many Thanks.

As a parent of 4 (ages 1 to 15), here's what springs to mind:

- Privacy. Just the thought of a service knowing my child's whereabouts at all times or their historical data being in "the cloud" will probably give some people pause.

- Having a locked bracelet/anklet on anyone immediately makes me think of house arrest/imprisonment/sci-fi movies. I know that sounds silly, but it did enter my head.

- I live in a very safe city (Bend, OR). Maybe it's different in urban areas, but really ... how many people would say "I feel like my neighborhood is unsafe"

- Furthermore, of those who live in an unsafe city and need this service, most of them probably can't afford it

- How the heck is a bracelet going to prevent a babysitter from hitting my child?

These are all good points.

Even if one were to figure out just how to target the clinically-paranoid parental market, I doubt there's enough daylight between this idea and the cell phone. Cell phones are in continuous contact with authorities and come with video and audio. But kids actually want to carry cell phones. Having a cell phone gives you capabilities. Wearing a single-purpose electronic leash that's attached to your mom just leads to embarrassment.

Could one market this to the parents of kids too young for cell phones? What kid is that, exactly? Infants don't roam very far, and any kid older than three can use a cell phone. That cell phone will almost certainly be cheaper than this device, and the kid that can be trusted not to break, lose, or perpetually forget to carry this device can probably also be trusted with that cheap cell phone.

I appreciate your comments, becoming aware of what consumers think about this idea was the entire idea of this post question.

Respectful rebuttals: 1. Criminals and sexual offenders are everywhere (see national registry) and I don't think being concerned makes me a "paranoid parent"....FYI- I have 3 kids.

2. Building this functionality into a cell phone is an exciting thought.........but any criminal can just throw it out the window, it has to be affixed in an "alarm system" type way----I am open to ideas.

3. Business Week and TechCrunch---wow believe they agree---have both suggested that there are significant safety/value benefits to such a device. The real issue is that for kids older than 5 it must be cool and customizable so they like it.

Lastly, infants dont roam but are often abused. (i.e. terrible environments, screaming, not being changed often enough, shaking, etc.) that the parent never knows about because when they stop by at 5:30 to pick-up after work all seems perfect. It is a huge deal!

to be true, a bracelet will not prevent your child from being hit/taken/abused, but it will certainly prevent the all-to-common repeated abuse that occurs from "trusted" babysitters and allow you to find them immediately (gps) if God-forbid they are ever abducted.

I am thankful you are in a safe town. Most in the US, not just rural, who go on the national sex offender registry site are alarmed at how many of these criminals are within close proximity to their house and schools.

PS. I have 3 children and have purchased the watch gps option from a company. It has very real design flaws but I am comforted in knowing my child cannot be taken without me immediately notified and informed with location.

As I said, make it a cool looking "apple-like" device and some of the house arrest images will go away, I think. Google the girls Dugard and Smart and the thousands of others that disappear or are abused each year and the business becomes compelling. I DO NOT wish to be an alarmist but bottom line is nobody thinks it will happen to them.

Hi jdileo,

Get out of the valley and start hitting the south: Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina.

There you will find your target market, specially if your focus is abduction.

Kidnapping rates are soaring high and there is need for something like this.

I'm currently working on something similar. I've been a victim of crime several times. I can appreciate the value of what you are trying to accomplish (that's my motivator for doing something like it)

I don't know if you are aware of the Express Kidnapping modality:

They kidnap you for several hours, ask for smaller amounts and hopefully will let you go. They do this several times a day. Some bands have large places (sometimes high end apartments, were they hold the people while the family pay the ransom. Maybe 30 or 40 people at a time. You have all sorts of amenities like Wii, Xbox, etc. But most of the time you are tied up and blindfolded)

Get out of the valley, but be careful. If you are not from around it can be tough.

Drop me a line if you like. I live in South America and we can chat a bit if you are interested.

And just to show you the creativity of these criminals

Instead of actually kidnaping you, this is what they do:

They present them selfs as serious businesses and strike (legitimate) deals with independent movie theaters. The movie theater agrees to let them place a stand on the outside to promote product "X".

When you are about to go in, they tell you if you would like a free sample or something like that. If you agree all you have to do is give out your name and your mobile number and your home phone number. They make the process seem very standard.

Once you go inside the movie theater you are constantly reminded to either turn of your cell phone or to put it in silence or vibrator mode for the movie, most people do.

After the movie starts, the criminals, start calling to your house and tell anyone that picks up the phone, that they have kidnapped you (they know your name, what you look like, what you were wearing, who you were with, etc) and that the family has one hour to deliver an small amount of cash if they want the person to be released. Most of the time, the families call the "victim" but since they are in the movies, generally people don't pick up the phone. So the family immediately assumes the call is for real.

You would not believe the amount of people that have been scammed like that. Is truly amazing.

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