Children's Watch Allows Parents To Track Their Kid

pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that a new wristwatch called num8 has a GPS tracking device and satellite positioning system concealed inside so parents can locate the wearer to within 10 feet with Google maps. The watch sends an alert if it is forcibly removed. The makers of the watch claim it gives peace of mind to parents and makes children more independent. 'Losing your child, if only for a brief moment, leads to a state of panic and makes parents feel powerless. The overriding aim of num8 is to give children their freedom and parents peace of mind,' says a company spokesman. Critics of the watch say tagging children is a step too far in paranoia about child safety. 'Is the world really that unsafe that parents need to track their children electronically? I don't think so,' says Dr Michele Elliott, director of children's charity Kidscape."

Comments

Re:Good for pre-teens, but not older

[IBBoard]

Personally I wouldn't use this for teenagers because at that age, they have matured enough that they deserve a little privacy

That, plus if you look at the picture then there's no way in hell that any teenager would be seen dead with that thing on their wrist :D

Re:He'll be alive and well but you...

[macaddict]

... will have run out of money. That "montly subscription" is sure as hell gonna wring every last buck out of yout wallet once they got you hooked.

Try reading the website next time:

Emergency use (1 alert/month) - £5 ($8).
Standard use (60 alerts/month) - £10 ($16)
Advanced use (90 alerts/month) - £13 ($21)
Unlimited use (unlimited alerts/month) - £20 ($32)

$32 is less than what a family spends at a restaurant. Go out to eat one less time per month, have plenty of money for the top-level subscription. And yeah, it's very much worth it if you can give your autistic kid a little more freedom and yourself a back-up system to keeping an eye on them.