At what point is it okay to introduce technology to your child?
It’s a vexed subject and parents will have differing views on the subject, especially when it comes to children under age 12.
The Alcatel Family Watch is designed for parents to introduce connective technology to their child, without the worry of social media and the “internet nasties” that can be associated with owning a smartphone. But it’s somewhat pricey, with a price tag of $180 through Vodafone.
A Nielsen Study found that among parents likely to get their child a wireless service, 90% of parents said that getting a hold of their child was the major reason for getting their child a wireless service before 13 years old. The watch addresses this want, by giving children the freedom to do more while giving parents the reassurance of connectivity, at an affordable price.
Via the associated app that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices, parents can:
- Monitor who their child is sending and receiving voice messages from, by pre-authorising the contacts downloaded on the Alcatel Family Watch;
- See their child’s location at any time, provided they are wearing the watch, and;
- Set a “safe zone,” and receive alerts when the child exits the safe zone at any time
The child wearing the Alcatel Family Watch has the ability to:
- Send and receive emoticon messages as well as make and receive calls to designated pre-authorised contacts
- If in danger, the child can hold down the SOS button on the side of the watch for 5 seconds, which will trigger a push notification to the designated connected phones, and automatically redirect the child to the family chat screen where they will be able to communicate with the family members via voice messages.
The company also recently launched a family friendly smartphone, the FZ One powered by Alcatel in partnership with cyber-security firm Family Zone, which is essentially a great stepping stone for kids to progress to once they out-grow the Alcatel Family Watch. More information on the FZ One can be found here.
