Dalip Celbeqiri
Apple AirTags became the center of a fiery online debate when a mother-of-two shared her decision to affix them to her children, using the devices to monitor their whereabouts.
To add to the controversy, she also trained her kids to respond when she pressed buttons on the AirTags, igniting discussions about parenting, privacy, and boundaries.
South Carolina mom-of-two, Vada Stevens, receives criticism for sharing her unconventional parenting techniques on TikTok.
View this post on Instagram
A 24-year-old mom posted a TikTok video to her 1 million fans, demonstrating how she trains her kids to respond like dogs to a button press. She also uses AirTags to monitor them closely.
“I saw a TikTok about a mom who puts Apple AirTags in bracelets on her kids, and I thought it was the coolest thing. You can find them on Amazon, and you can track them and make a beeping noise and you can train your kids to come when they hear the beeping noise,” Vada said in her video.
The young mother demonstrated her approach by pressing a button for Apple AirTags and observing her daughters, Stella (4) and Serena (2), quickly rushing toward her.
View this post on Instagram
“You beeped for us. What did you need?” the girls said. “Today we are dog training,” Stevens wrote in her video.
The video went viral with millions of views and mixed reactions. While some praised the pregnant mom, many criticized her for treating her kids like animals.
View this post on Instagram
“Kids are not animals stop tracking them with tracking devices wtf dude? Just look for them normally!!” wrote someone wrote.
“Yikes this is scary!” a second said.
“This has to be a joke,” a third added.
“Are you kidding, they are beautiful and they are your daughters, why would your treat them like dogs and track your kids like that? For God’s sake woman let sense come to you,” a fourth commented.
In a recent interview with Today, Stevens, who homeschools her daughters, addressed the backlash and justified her actions.
View this post on Instagram
Despite frequent visits to their grandmother’s house and outings with their father, she expressed the need to stay informed about her kids’ activities in her absence.
She said: “I am extremely paranoid about everything safety. I thought the bracelets were genius. My two-year-old doesn’t pay attention and runs off so if she happens to get lost, the Apple AirTag is a perfect way to find her. It just takes one second to look away from your kid and they’re off in a crowd somewhere.”
View this post on Instagram
In response to the criticism surrounding the video she shared, Vada confidently stands by her parenting methods, emphasizing her unwavering commitment to the safety and protection of her children, regardless of public opinion.
“In this day and age, you can’t ever be too protective. People think I’m a crazy mom — one even said I needed to sign my child up for therapy. I’m doing this to prevent my children from ever being taken or lost. I’m going to do my best to know exactly where they are,” she added.
What do you think of this mom’s decision to make her kids wear Apple AirTags? Let us know in the comments!
