HOUSTON – Whether they are walking to the bus stop or walking home after school, there are plenty of scenarios where you want your child to be able to contact you quickly. But what if they're not ready for a cellphone?
Phone carriers realize parents want to see where their children are and be able to contact them, but they don't want to send them to school with an electronic device that will only distract them from what they should be doing.
The LG Gizmo Gadget is a touchscreen GPS watch designed for kids. Parents can pre-load up to 10 phone numbers that they can call with one touch and only those numbers can call the Gizmo Gadget. You can check your child's location throughout the day and set quiet times that will silence the rings and beeps while your child is in school or anywhere else you don't want them to be distracted. The device is $150, with a $5 a month service fee through Verizon.
Its cheaper little brother, the GizmoPal2, is $80 and has all the same features, but allows only 4 contacts.
If your child is older or already has a smartphone, there are plenty of apps to keep you connected that are less distracting than texting or calling.
The Glympse app lets your teenager send a glimpse of their location that lets you know how far from home they are or when they have reached their destination.
You can use the Life 360 app for your whole household to stay in touch. There's a private map that shows the location of everyone in your family and an SOS button that sends a message to everyone in the family group if activated.
The Help Me app is a lifeline for kids and teens while they're away from home. They can sound an alarm and send a text to up to two designated emergency contacts when activated.
All three apps are free and available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.