GPS watch for children - something to wear?

As a parent, you want to know where your child is in all situations. And as easy as you want to be able to reach your child, you want him to be able to reach you. Anywhere. Anytime. This has led to significantly more children, at younger ages, now walking around with their own mobile phone. Flexible, of course, because then you can reach them anytime, anywhere, and you also know where the child is. But on the mobile phone there is also much else, which not only takes time, but can also be purely addictive - games and social media. Therefore, GPS watch for children has now become increasingly popular. What then is a so-called "smartwatch"? And is it something to have?

What is a GPS watch for children?

A smartwatch looks like a normal digital wristwatch with a display that shows the date and time, but in addition to this it is equipped with a GPS tracker that allows you as a parent to see where your child is, all the time. In addition, it has, among other things, a safety zone function which means that you can specify a specific area where the child may be, and should the child leave that area, you as a parent will be alerted immediately. A little further down you will find a list of all the functions.

Why should my child have a GPS watch?

The use of technology gadgets is constantly creeping down with age, which is not always positive. Figures from 2018 showed that two-year-olds already used the internet to the same extent as four-year-olds did four years earlier. And these numbers are constantly increasing. Among 7-8-year-olds, about every third person has their own mobile phone. In ten-year-olds, it is as high as 90%.The numbers come from svenskarna and internet and Omni.Of course, there are advantages to providing your child with a mobile phone, but if the primary reason for buying one is that you want to keep track of where the child is, and be able to easily get in touch, then maybe a GPS watch would suffice. Then the child also avoids getting caught up in various games or ending up on social media at too young an age.As the watch is also attached to the child's arm, it becomes more difficult to lose than a mobile phone that constantly has to go up and down out of bags or pockets. Even from an economic point of view, a smartwatch is the winner - they are significantly cheaper than mobile phones, and cost from a few hundred bucks to just over a thousand bucks. No subscription is required either, all that is needed is that the watch's SIM card is loaded with surfing.

The watch's various functions

There are several different brands to choose from, and what features the watch has may vary, but the most common features are:

• GPS Tracker: a built-in GPS lets you as a parent know where your child is, always.
• Do not disturb function: a function that can be activated, for example, during school hours or other important activities....
• Safety Zone: you as a parent can register a specific area, a so-called "safety zone", where it is okay for the child to be. Should the child leave this area, the parent will be alerted. Often you can specify more than one such zone, and the minimum circumference for the different zones is around 200 meters.
• Incoming & Outgoing calls: the child can both make and receive calls, just like on a regular mobile phone. However, with the difference that from the watch you can only call the numbers that you have registered in the watch. This is so that no unauthorized person can call your child.
• SOS number: you can register a limited number of emergency numbers as "SOS contacts", which are then dialed in the order they were entered if the child presses the watch's SOS button.
• Text & Voice Messaging: The parent can send voice & text messages to the child, and the child can send voice messages back.
• Remote Shutdown: this feature means that only you as a parent can turn off the clock, which is then done via an app. This is so that neither the child, nor anyone unauthorized, can turn off the clock.Removal Sensor: this sensor alerts if the child should take off, or lose the watch. The alarm is sent either via SMS or an app notification.

This list comes from Expressen.

Earlier warnings about GPS watches for children

At the end of 2017 completed Forbrukerrådet, the Norwegian equivalent of Sweden's consumers, a comprehensive review of some of the largest watch manufacturers on the market, and came out after that with a couple of rather serious warnings regarding the following areas:

Security

The test showed that the safety zone function was not completely reliable, and that the user could leave the defined area without warning the parents. The Consumer Council then thought that both children and parents were rocked into a false sense of security, as the GPS function seems to be the primary reason for buying the watch from the very beginning.

Privacy protection

Nor did the privacy protection work as it should. It was not at all that difficult for unauthorized persons to hack into the watch, moreover without the user even noticing what they were giving the appearance of. This meant that outsiders could easily "take over" the watch, get in touch with the child and manipulate the GPS function so that it became completely misleading. The child could thus be in a completely different place than the one indicated by the clock.

Illegal contract terms

Several of the apps in the watches lacked terms of use. The user was also not given the opportunity to delete either his data or his user account, which violates both the personal data legislation and the data protection ordinance.You can read more information about this at Sveriges Konsumenter and on #Watchout you can read the entire Consumer Council report.

Pros & Cons of a GPS Watch for Kids

Of course, there are pros and cons to everything, so do these watches. And the report above does indicate serious shortcomings, however, the review was carried out (as I said) at the end of 2017, so much has certainly developed in terms of the technical part. But of course it is important to keep this in mind.

Pros:

• Cheaper than a cell phone.
• Good call and contact functions.
• Does not provide access to games and social media.
• The parent has more control both in places and contacts.
• No subscription required.
• Smoother than a mobile, and easier not to lose.

Disadvantages:

• There may be serious deficiencies in the important safety features.
• Not entirely legal privacy terms.
• Risk of unauthorized hacking.
• That you as a parent rely too much on the watch's functions and simply do not have as good control on your own.

Important!

Always be sure to check and compare this type of product. Be sure to choose a reputable supplier, and take note of previous reviews.

Which watch should you choose?

It can be difficult to know which brand and model to choose with so many different options. Barnguiden.nuhas therefore done a test to find the best GPS watch for children where you can see the winners in the price range premium, medium and budget. You can also take part in other brands that were not named winners, and tips on where to find the watches at the best price.You will find the Child Guide's test here!