New App Makes Keeping Kids Safe A Little Easier

Parents are busier than ever and most of us know we can't do it alone. We sometimes need a little help from our friends.  Now a new app makes getting that help a lot easier. 

The app is called NearParent and when something unexpected happens, it alerts all the adults in your network.

The Rodriguez family is already a busy one.  But when something unexpected happens life becomes even more difficult.  Especially since the two girls go to school in Midwest City and both parents work in Edmond, Anita as a nurse.

"If something happens we just have to rely on friends and family to come and get them," said Anita.

It's for those times that the NearParent App was developed.  The idea came out of personal experience from one of its creators.

"He had a situation with one of his kids," said Topi Järvinen, one of the creators of the Nearparent app.  "He was taking one of his kids to a sports practice and he started thinking what if something happened to the other kids and he wasn't around,"

The app allows parents to invite other adults into their network.  A child who needs help simply clicks a button on their phone which alerts all of the adults in their network and shows the child's location in real time. The adult who can help then responds to everyone, including the parent.

"This kind of gives them peace of mind in those situations that they're not around, that they know there's someone they trust that will be around to care for their kid."

The Rodriguezes agree. And after we told them about the app, they immediately installed it on their phones.

"If somebody's not home, I would be able to get a hold of somebody," said 12-year-old Liv Rodriguez. 

"I think it would be helpful to several parents," said Anita.

The app even has a feature that allows parents to set perimeters and if the kids go outside that area, it alerts parents and the child.