As soon as mobile phones ceased to be a sign of luxury, their owners rapidly began to look younger. A preschool child confidently pointing his fingers at the screen of a smartphone is a completely ordinary sight today. Many parents do not see anything strange in the fact that a son or daughter has a personal means of communication, even if the baby is not even three years old. Is it correct?
When is the phone harmful?
Experts are unequivocal: up to 6 years old, a child does not just need a phone – it rather harms its owner.
A bright screen, sonorous signals and sharply changing pictures have an exciting effect on a fragile psyche. The habit of immersing yourself in the world of virtual toys and cartoons dulls the desire to learn about the real world and get used to it. Constant “freezing” on the phone slows down the development of social skills, prevents a child from mastering the most important ability to make new acquaintances and friends.
Not to mention that it's just not practical. If for students the phone, with the right approach, becomes a tool for mastering new knowledge, then it does not bring any visible benefit to kids.
Good alternative
On the other hand, the telephone is a convenient means of communication that is always at hand. It does not harm any child to be able to get in touch with one of the relatives at any time, ask for advice or help, let you know if something unexpected happens in his environment. How to be?
The ideal solution would be a smartwatch that can make calls and send text messages, and also receive them, allowing children to stay always in touch. Besides, in addition to the most basic functions, such gadgets are often equipped with many additional skills. They can:
- play music;
- download entertainment or educational applications;
- monitor the child's physical activity;
- encourage sports or other good habits;
- stop uncontrolled browsing of the Internet, if the watch model allows it.
High-quality children's gadgets are also protected from water, dust and shock, so they are not inferior to adult models of gadgets and smartphones.
Another plus: a smart watch, unlike a mobile phone, is difficult to lose, because they are not carried in a pocket or backpack, they are not forgotten on a table in a cafe or a bench on a playground. Regardless of the fact if the child is currently using the features of the device or not, it remains securely attached to their wrist. Moreover, there are models with a hand-held sensor that will signal if someone (or the baby himself) tries to get rid of the watch, and quick communication buttons allow you to get urgent help if necessary.
Finally, if a child can miss a call to a mobile phone by playing, then it is impossible not to hear the sound from the device, which is literally under his nose.
Watches with and without SIM cards
No matter how complex abilities the creators of mobile smartwatches endow, their main purpose is to ensure the safety of the child and the possibility of exercising parental control over who children communicate with and what they do on the Internet.
Almost all smartwatch models are equipped with a GPS tracker that, upon request, sends a signal to parents about the location of the child. This is a good and necessary addition, but it has many drawbacks. So, most often, devices that work without a SIM card operate via Bluetooth and cellular networks, that is why they give only an approximate point on the map with an error of 500 m. A huge distance when it comes to kids!
More advanced models with SIM cards use GSM, LTE, Wi-Fi networks, A-GPS technologies and the GLONASS system for positioning, allowing you to receive more accurate data. As a rule, you can order a card for free, the main thing is to choose a mobile smartwatch plan before activating it, based on their functionality and expected usage activity. It will be very useful to study the offers of different operators in order to understand which one will be the most profitable.
Parental control app
With all the advantages of GPS watches, they have a number of disadvantages that can spoil the impression of the purchase. Watches:
- They rarely have a good capacity battery and therefore do not hold a charge well.
- They require the purchase of a separate SIM card.
- They are expensive. And the more reliable the model is, the more you have to pay for it – for example, a waterproof option will cost a very impressive amount.
To benefit from the purchase of a smart watch, it is not enough to find the right model, provider and tariff plan. You need to take care of the device settings, or deal scrupulously with each option on your own. Fortunately, there is an easier and more affordable way to keep your child safe – just use the Kidsfinder parental control app for this purpose.
So, the Kidsfinder app allows parents to:
- determine the location of the child in real time;
- have access to the full history of his movements during the last 5 days;
- receive a signal if the child leaves the limits of safe geofences, which can be set in an unlimited number – around the school, on the route to the house, to the address of the pajama party;
- hear what's going on in the child's environment by connecting to the microphone on his device;
- save important audio files – up to 30 minutes per month for free and the same amount for a small additional charge;
- know how much time children spend on video games and entertainment applications;
- receive a danger signal if the child feels that something threatens him.
In reviews of Kidsfinder, users often emphasize its simplicity and affordability. The application is especially beneficial for families with two or more children, as it makes it possible to connect up to 5 different gadgets to the parent smartphone for free and up to 10 for an additional amount.
