BLOOMINGTON -
At college campuses all across the country and here in Indiana, parents are saying goodbye to their kids. For some, that means saying hello to sleepless nights worrying about their safety.
"They don't think about it. They always think, 'Oh, it's not going to happen, but mothers, you know, think of the worst," said parent Linda Ball.
With four daughters, one of them a senior this year at Indiana University, Ball has been, and remains, one of those mothers.
"I bought my daughters stun guns," she explained.
Never far from anyone's mind, with missing flyers still hanging up, is the disappearance of Lauren Spierer from last year, reminding students and parents anything can happen to anyone at anytime.
"No one expects it to happen to them, but there's always a chance it could happen to anybody," says IU senior Kayla Wegner.
That's why Wegner's family researched and found just one of several mobile panic button applications for smartphones on the market right now.
"For me, it's like insurance. You know. it's just an extra thing that might give her a chance, should the unthinkable happen," said Kayla's mother, Sandy.
Kayla uses a mobile panic app called My Force. All she has to do is hit the button if she's in trouble.
"Your screen's going to automatically go black and your phone is going to start recording everything around you," explained Kayla. "A monitoring team on the other end is listening to the whole situation. They will then dispatch authorities if it's necessary."
The GPS now in most smartphones allows police to track the user's location.
"I think something like this should be at parent orientation for freshman, you know, just to say things are out there like this," said Wegner.
Not all mobile panic applications work the same. Some contact a local dispatch center, which then sends the closest police. Others send emails, tweets, and Facebook panic messages to a list of contacts.
Some, like My Force, develop a complete profile on the user, with a picture, your car's make and model and plate number and even a history you may have with a stalker or an abusive ex.
The more Ball heard about it, the more she said she was thinking about a mobile panic app for her daughter.
"I'm all for anything to keep the kids safe, you know," said Ball.
For her, that's a stun gun and now, maybe, technology.
Parents are concerned about safety as they send their children back to school.
Smartphone apps can alert authorities in dangerous situations.
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