Should every child have a mobile phone?

There are few more emotive subjects than the use of mobile technology by and in children. That's right - in children. Research promoted today of the 5- to 24-year-old age range, and in particular the under-10s unit therein, shows a vast increase in the number of young children with mobiles. Parents around the world most commonly cite the fear of abduction as the main safety reason for buying their child a handset.

It is a fine reason but is that really the motivation behind the purchase and how effective would mobiles be?

Undoubtedly a large number of even the youngest kids are driven by wanting to have the coolest device in the playground. The frequent downloading of ringtones, which today was also shown to have overtaken CD singles sales, indicates the strength of the youth-mobile marriage.

And if a child is snatched, is it likely any evildoer will allow a casual SOS call? The answer isn't clear cut. Plenty of people - not just children - have been located in the past via a furtive text message or the triangulation of a handset signal.

But if real safety is the most important thing, should society be considering other tracking options? In the UK operators are obliged not to target the under-16 market. The logic is that while there is even a slight chance cellular devices can be harmful children should be spared. So how about a future where children have implanted (or should that be embedded?) short-range RFID or other chips? They wouldn't be much good from afar but hauling a child through a shopping centre might just leave a trail. Found kids would also be traceable in an instant.

If that sounds ridiculous, consider we already use this approach for our cats and dogs. As Sun CEO Scott McNealy recently said: "I have a chip in my dog but not my four sons. Does that mean I love my dog more than my sons?"

Some studies point to societal problems caused by constant monitoring of citizens. Children known to have grown up under constant monitoring can fail to develop a sense of responsibility and actually end up in more danger than those with a strong sense of independence.

Technology will undoubtedly pay a bigger part in children's lives. The answers to which path we should be following still aren't known.