Name, rank, serial number

It seems that not even children will escape the peculiar contemporary obsession with constant monitoring of people wherever they go. To me the idea of people, even children, being refered to as a number rather than by their actual names seems somewhat dehumanising.

Perhaps this is really just a way of softening up the next generation so that they will be quite accustomed to the idea of being constantly tracked by unseen authorities, and police being alerted if they don't appear at a designated location at a designated time. Even though this may be done with good intentions - to protect children from harm - it strikes me as highly Orwellian. Statistically the chances of being abducted or killed have not increased over the last few decades, and remain extremely low. The thing which you always need to ask, especially when considering such things as anti terrorism legislation, is whether it's worth giving up a large amount of freedom for the sake of a very small potential risk.

When I was a kid I would often roam or bicycle over quite a wide area, sometimes on my own or with friends and with no way of contacting anyone or having anyone contact me. This basic freedom was quite enjoyable, and even now I often go places either without a mobile phone or with the phone switched off. Current or future generations of children will probably never experience that kind of freedom.