The digital age has lead to fabulous new advances in helicopter parenting. The latest gadget built to accommodate the paranoid parent is the Amber Alert GPS 2G. Basically, this device is a little GPS tracker you attach to your kid. At any time, you can text the tracker and it will respond with your child's position.

If you think THAT'S creepy, we haven't even gotten started yet. This device also allows parents to restrict their child's movement by creating a 'safe zone' for them to travel in. It doesn't say how this safe zone is enforced, which probably means that it isn't at all.

The Amber Alert 2G can also track the route your child takes when he leaves the home, as well as monitor the speed of whatever vehicle he is traveling in. It even has a button that the child can push if he needs parental help.

This device has a couple of huge, glaring flaws. For one thing, no kid is going to want to be monitored constantly by his parents. It's not healthy for their development into responsible individuals. What's going to stop kids from just ripping off the badge, sticking it in their locker at school, and going out on the town all day? Or dropping it off at a friend's house and heading out to see a concert?

For younger kids though, I suppose this could be a useful tool. It's expensive though; $379 for the tracker, and $10/month minimum for the service. Apparently, peace of mind comes with one hell of a price tag.