Yeah, I am not buying one of these for my kids. Some parents are complete control freaks. I don't want my kids to always think I am watching them.
this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2026
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Eeeeh I have mixed feelings. I was the parent that had the ability to tack and log my kids, because I was/am heavily into tech. But the only time it was ever really used was “where the hell is [child] he never came home from school” or “what time did I leave [place]?” Or similar.
Not all about watching or tracking - I like the idea of one (minus the insane amount of corporate privacy abuses that come with them) so my kids can call or message me/my wife if they need or want to. My daughter has anxiety (just like her mom) and the ability to reach us would be reassuring.
Unfortunately its such a privacy nightmare that I just can't find a workable option.
What about just a flip phone. Then they can take the battery out when they don't need it.
It'll be forgotten somewhere day 1 guaranteed. When she's a bit older it'll be a good option.
I helped a parent with this years ago; maybe the same advice can help you:
Go to the mobile store and ask them for the cheapest phone they can sell you. They'll show you something on the floor, and then tell them no. The absolute cheapest they can sell you. Like, a pile of something in the back that's about to get thrown out, but it's still on the inventory. Ask them to ask the manager what's the lowest price they can offer if you buy 10 or more of them. (The parent I spoke to got 10 phones for $30)
Then, explain to your daughter that you're giving her a new responsibility, and that responsibilities are easier to remember when they have value. You're going to give her a cell phone, and she's not allowed to show it to her friends, she can only use it to call you or approved contacts and emergency services. The cell phone has to come home every day, and it'll be checked that it's charged (to get her in the habit of charging it herself), working, and hasn't made any unexpected calls.
The value assigned to this will be whatever her favorite hobby/activity is. Computer time, games, puzzles, coloring, whatever. Let her know that you realize this is a big deal, and that she won't be in trouble as long as she's honest about the phone. If she doesn't pass the daily check, she won't be grounded and can do literally anything else, but not that one activity. Explain that this is you helping her learn responsibility, not a way to punish her.
I gave this advice nearly a decade ago, so prices and opportunities may have changed, and in case it needs to be said, my unsolicited advice isn't meant to make you feel like you're being judged as a parent. This is just in case you've considered the idea, but couldn't think of a way to increase the chances of success.
All jokes aside she's not getting a physical cell phone - even a flip phone - for a few more years.
I appreciate the comment, but she's 7. She has a "landline" phone (local PBX, explicit allows for friends whose parents ive talked to), she isn't ready for something mobile. They aren't even allowed into elementary school with cell phones, but the accessory style devices (watches) are.
Middle school? Yes, thats when this conversation will happen.
I gave that advice to a parent at a middle school where I worked, so yeah. If a parent had asked me how to ensure that their 7 year-old doesn't lose a cell phone, I'd tell them that not giving a cell phone to a 7 year-old is a really good place to start.
Thus the root of the problem - an option for younger that isn't also a privacy nightmare.
Tape the phone to her wrist
I'm going to have to assume you've never met children.
The tape would be on her face and the phone would be on an intercontinental adventure after a 10 minute visit to the playground around the corner.
And several of us here know this as the reason why rented cloud services are terrible. The providers, by simply being known and by the usual capitalist fails of cutting corners to provide a barely passable service, are always going to be vulnerable to attacks, either by hackers, owners/shareholders or state regulations. Synchronising data to another device you own never needs a server in the middle -- it's just designed that way. Even before the chance of a bad actor's influence, the reason servers are ever made mandatory as central communication is data harvesting for sale to land in the hands of businesses that use it to manipulate people to purchase their products. If harvesting does not happen, then the ToS agreement would not include agreements to it.
This vid isnt loading for me, it there an alt link I can use?
thank you, I found this informative
Any apple watch or Galaxy watch will have most of these functions.
Well, hopefully not as insecure as the ones from the video...