IF YOU could track your child's every movement, would you?

Beware because a new device from Moochies will let parents not only be able to track their child by GPS but also lets them contact someone in an emergency.

A cross between a phone and a watch - think a Playmobil version of an Apple iWatch - but why?

Who on earth needs to GPS-track their child throughout the day?

If you don't think they are safe in whatever childcare setting you leave them in while you are at work then why are they there?

It is the worst kind of helicopter parenting.

The reason we bring children up is to make sure they become independent enough to one day fly the nest and become fully fledged adults.

But we have been eroding the chances for them to make mistakes and - importantly - learn from those mistakes.

The ability to call mummy and daddy because teacher has told them off or they are bored or they need their shoelaces tying isn't going to benefit anyone.

But, more scary than that, it is going to give some parents the chance to offload their responsibilities onto a plastic watch.

Why would you need to check where your four-year-old is on a park if she is wearing the gizmo?

In between scanning Facebook and texting your mates you can look on the nifty GPS and see that yes, your daughter is still on the park or has wandered off (or taken the watch off and tossed it away).

Who needs a babysitter when little Johnny can call you on his watch phone if the bogeyman appears?

I wish I was joking that it would happen but reading the below the line comments on news articles about the Moochies this is exactly what some parents think they are for.

These watches with their chubby plastic straps, playful characters and bright colours aren't designed to appeal to tweens or teens.

They are designed for children who should be under a parent's watchful eye and given enough responsibility which never puts them in real danger.

It is not exactly a novel idea but why not do we seem so resistant to just parenting our children?

Letting them - and us - learn from our mistakes.

Not wrapping them up in cottonwool or letting technology take over responsibilities which should be down to mum and dad.

Getting it right is a tightrope and nobody wants to put a foot wrong but these watches and their GPS trackers are a step too far.