For parents with teenage children and younger, there can be a level of apprehension when it comes to letting your kids out on their own.  A new app called ImOK hopes to relieve some of the worry by rewarding kids and making “checking-in” a game.

The idea behind ImOK is similar to “check-ins” with social media sites like Foursquare or Gowalla, using GPS technology to pinpoint where the child is located.  The “check-in” itself scores points for kids, with the ability to earn additional points by adding more information like photos, messages and other friends that they are with at the time.  These features take some of the best social media features and use them to help parents keep track of their children.

All of these points are tracked within the app and can then be used to redeem rewards from the “wish lists”  The app’s wish list feature allows parents to decide how to reward their children, with allowances and more phone time being popular choices.  ImOK developers hope to direct more spending within the app by implementing a store feature to use this allowance on spending cards to redeem at other outlets.

ImOK’s co-creator Matthew Bromberg had this to say about the app (via Mashable):

“Our view is that what makes kids safer is communication and being close to their folks. And I don’t want to know where my kid is on the map every single moment. I just want to know what’s going on.”

Blending social media with a rewards system just may help to provide the motivation teenagers need to stay in touch with their parents, which will in turn increase communication and safety.  This could become a profitable venture for ImOK and for parents wanting more communication with minimal intrusion into their children’s lives.