Free FBI iPhone App and Others Can Help Parents Keep Kids Safe

The FBI is now on the Iphone Apps train, creating an application that can help parents in the time of crisis if their children are to ever become missing.

The "FBI Child ID" app relies upon parents to build a full database on a child that they keep stored in their iPhones, said FBI spokesman Paul Bresson. That information can be shown on the spot to a security guard at a mall, or emailed directly to the FBI.

Parents can use the Child ID app to upload a current picture of their child, their physical descriptions, and distinguishing characteristics.

More on this app can be found here.

And there are quite a few companies in the field of child safety mobile apps. Some do use GPS, such as the "Nearparent" app, which sets up a virtual neighborhood of pre-arranged helpers for a child to call upon if they are in distress. It lets those helpers pinpoint the child with their location. And "iHound" lets children alert parents via smartphone when they have arrived at a location. Conversely, "Family Tracker" informs parents of a child's whereabouts.