App designed to reduce summer drownings

Former lifeguard Gretchen McAleer says parents don't realise how dangerous distractions at the pool can be. Photo / Supplied

A former lifeguard is hoping her app design will stop near-miss drownings at swimming pools.

Gretchen McAleer developed the concept for her "Watch Me" app as her final-year project at Massey University.

It combines teaching parents about the dangers of unsupervised children in the pool, with the ability for parents and children to design water safety posters for their local pools.

McAleer said it was inspired by her six years as a lifeguard, where she saw many children get into strife because their parents weren't paying attention.

"Every shift I worked, I'd end up talking to at least three parents."

She said many people underestimated the dangers of common poolside distractions, such as cellphones, reading, and getting caught up in conversations.

"What has been most frustrating for me is the lack of active supervision of children under 8 years old, and it just doesn't seem to be improving.

"They don't realise the risk they're putting their children in, because things can happen so quickly"

The app allows parents and children to design water safety messages together. Photo / Supplied

McAleer said she came up with the idea for parents and children to design water safety posters together, because she hoped the children's safety messages would be better received.

"No parent likes to be told how to look after their child, hence my conversational angle of using the child's voice as the main point of communication.

"It also allows for straightforward and basic language that is easy to understand for all demographics.

"Although I am wanting to influence parents, the child is involved in this process too."

NZ Recreation Association has already showed an interest in the idea, using it for a summer Poolsafe poster campaign which launched today.

McAleer said she'd love to see the app itself developed into one that was available for all parents to use with their children, but that was still hypothetical at this stage.