Using technology as a safety tool on Halloween

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Trick-or-treating can be fun for the whole family. It can be equally as busy as other families fill the sidewalks and collect candy themselves, but using devices you already have can make the night less worrisome for parents and children.

Betsy Francis, AT& T’s General Manager for the Mid-Atlantic States, encourages families to distribute devices like Airtags or other tracking devices, smart watches and phones among family members before going trick-or-treating. Then using the “Find My” feature on your Apple or Android device, you can keep up with your kids in case one gets turned around.

She mentioned a geofencing feature that notifies you if a device leaves the designated area.

Making sure everyone involved knows how to use the devices properly is vital.

“If you’re giving them a device [make sure they know] how to contact emergency services, how to contact their parents, making sure they know where those speed dials are… [and] making sure they’re clear on where those contacts exist and how to access them,” she said.

She added that even having a neighbor’s phone number saved as an emergency contact could be handy.

Also important is that every device is fully charged before hitting the sidewalks on Halloween night.

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