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Started By
Message
Standalone Smart Watch for kids
Posted on 3/19/24 at 1:50 pm
Posted on 3/19/24 at 1:50 pm
Hey, Looking for input. My oldest boy is turning 10. I do not want to go full in on giving him a cell phone yet. Would just like an ability to communicate with him, track location when he is out exploring and stuff etc.
Thinking I will get him a watch. I would like a standalone. The available options are overwhelming. Don't necessarily need a kids only option. I have seen Cosmo JR Track, and T Mobile Sync Up. Too many options to read.
I have AT&T currently if it matters.
Anybody go this route with kids?
Thinking I will get him a watch. I would like a standalone. The available options are overwhelming. Don't necessarily need a kids only option. I have seen Cosmo JR Track, and T Mobile Sync Up. Too many options to read.
I have AT&T currently if it matters.
Anybody go this route with kids?
7
Posted on 3/19/24 at 2:05 pm to TFLEX
If you have an iPhone, look into Family Setup for Apple Watch.
Posted on 3/19/24 at 3:51 pm to TFLEX
If you're on ATT go with the Gabb watch. ETA: It's on the Verizon network.
This post was edited on 3/19/24 at 3:52 pm
Posted on 3/19/24 at 4:53 pm to TFLEX
Just went through this with our 9 year old son. We have all Apple devices and it made the most sense to get him an Apple Watch SE with cellular. We have Verizon and got the watch for free and service is $10 per month for a stand alone line. Works great and easy to use on the Family Share.
Posted on 3/19/24 at 6:31 pm to CMATTE
I was just doing the same thing and I looked on eBay and Facebook marketplace and a lot of people upgrade their Apple Watch and sell their old ones. You can find ones 3 years old for $70-100
Posted on 3/20/24 at 7:56 am to dallastiger55
I am on AT&T but use Android. Not sure if I know anything about the Apple watches or if they function as a standalone not tethered to a phone.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 9:49 am to TFLEX
Verizon has a gizmo watch that works pretty well.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 10:09 am to XanderCrews
I think the Gizmo may be the ticket!
Posted on 3/20/24 at 10:42 am to TFLEX
quote:
I think the Gizmo may be the ticket!
The Gabb and the Gizmo are virtually identical. You can't go wrong with either one. The only reason I didn't recommend the Gizmo is it was Verizon and you're on ATT. I will say, I do like the Gabb app slightly better, but not enough to make a real difference.
Our kid had the gizmo from elementary school thru 6th grade. It always served us well for our needs. The GPS tracking feature is nice. But about 1/2 way thru 6th he stopped wearing it. I'm sure it was because of middle school peer pressure. We upgraded him to a gabb phone at Christmas. It's worked beautifully as well. It's basically a Samsung A13 with updated firmware (no internet browser or data connection). If you have more than 1 kid, and I'm assuming you do since you said oldest, you could do the gabb watch and when it comes time to updated the oldest you can pass the watch to his siblings.
This post was edited on 3/20/24 at 10:47 am
Posted on 3/20/24 at 12:21 pm to Lonnie Utah
Awesome. That is the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you. And yes, I kind of hoped I would be able to get a year or two out of it and then hand it down to the next kid when he goes to a real phone.
I am a HS coach and the idiocy these kids get into with phone access 24/7 is unbelievable. Going to attempt to keep my kids out of it until they have at least gotten old enough to understand what is going on if they do something stupid.
I am a HS coach and the idiocy these kids get into with phone access 24/7 is unbelievable. Going to attempt to keep my kids out of it until they have at least gotten old enough to understand what is going on if they do something stupid.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 1:33 pm to TFLEX
quote:
I think the Gizmo may be the ticket!
We got one for my 9yo. Its the tmobile watch, but it looks like the same thing.
I rarely use the tracking feature, but the texting and how he can call me is great. I may need to get him an ATT one, since we are all ATT now.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 1:37 pm to TFLEX
I have been looking for a watch that is network agnostic for $150 or less and it is slim pickens. there are tons of great watches for kids out there but they almost all require using their monthly data plans. No thanks.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 1:47 pm to TFLEX
quote:We got a young relative a TickTalk. Check it out.
Hey, Looking for input. My oldest boy is turning 10. I do not want to go full in on giving him a cell phone yet. Would just like an ability to communicate with him, track location when he is out exploring and stuff etc.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 2:13 pm to Big Scrub TX
quote:
We got a young relative a TickTalk. Check it out.
On the ticktalk do they have regular text messaging? That is the hardest thing to figure out for me reading features on these things. Some of them have a regular keyboard and they can text whatever, some must use preprogrammed texts, and some only voice to text.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 2:37 pm to TFLEX
quote:Yes, but...crucially, for someone to be onboarded as ok to text, the parent has to register them. Basically, the texts go through the app and not the cell provider. At some point, they'll obviously age out, but it's a nice bit of walled garden while they are still tenderfeet.
On the ticktalk do they have regular text messaging?
I'm 99% sure it's both voice to text and full keyboard.
Posted on 3/20/24 at 4:10 pm to TFLEX
quote:
Awesome. That is the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you.
No problem. I had all the same worries/concerns when we were going through the process...
Posted on 3/21/24 at 8:11 pm to TFLEX
We have gabb watches and they are great
Gabb watch 3 they can only talk or text to approved contacts. Full texting, talk to text, audio, and calling.
Gabb watch 3 they can only talk or text to approved contacts. Full texting, talk to text, audio, and calling.
This post was edited on 3/21/24 at 8:14 pm
Posted on 3/21/24 at 9:17 pm to Hu_Flung_Pu
quote:
only talk or text to approved contacts.
Like Apple Watch. But then a lot of parents approve the installation of Snapchat, Instagram, etc., which essentially subvert contact restrictions, and reduce the ability for you to easily read messages.
But not to worry, in Junior High and above, everyone runs their mouths, and you'll find about anything untoward PDQ, either through your kid or mom gossip. Most parents don't pay attention, nearly at all, to message histories, app installations, etc.
You're on the right track though. I went the watch route (If he wasn't at home with one of us, he was trying to catch crawfish in the creek, or he was at the basketball park, it's not rocket science.) A phone lobotomizes most kids.
Posted on 3/22/24 at 10:04 am to LemmyLives
quote:
Like Apple Watch. But then a lot of parents approve the installation of Snapchat, Instagram, etc., which essentially subvert contact restrictions, and reduce the ability for you to easily read messages.
But not to worry, in Junior High and above, everyone runs their mouths, and you'll find about anything untoward PDQ, either through your kid or mom gossip. Most parents don't pay attention, nearly at all, to message histories, app installations, etc.
You're on the right track though. I went the watch route (If he wasn't at home with one of us, he was trying to catch crawfish in the creek, or he was at the basketball park, it's not rocket science.) A phone lobotomizes most kids.
Thanks. Yes, that is about like my boy. Just like to know who's house he is playing blitzball at or who's pond he jumped the fence to fish in when its dinner time
And you are correct. Kids think they are slick, we catch every stupid thing they do on snap, tiktok, groupchat. On a daily basis at school.
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