The answer is, not really safe. But, why?
As parents, the most important reason we choose GPS kids watches is to ensure the safety of our children. By using the GPS tracking function to monitor the real-time location of our children, we can ensure that they are in a safe place. However, in safeguarding our children's safety, we may also be revealing our children's information to criminals. This disadvantage is not only related to the working principle of GPS kids smart watch, but also to the low-quality manufacturers who produce these products. In the following content, I will explain the security issues related to GPS kids smart watches.
Why do parents choose to buy GPS kids smart watch for children?
1. Safety
It is without a doubt that safety problems are ubiquitous in any community. According to the statistical report by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as of December 31, 2021, a total of 521,705 missing person reports have been submitted to NCIC, of which 93,718 records are still valid.
Youth for 32% of these active missing person records. As parents, we don’t want our children to become one of them. Therefore, due to safety concerns, parents are willing to choose GPS kids smart watch for their children to ensure their safety. Although GPS kids smart watch can only help you confirm the location of your child, it is currently one of the safer and more reliable methods.
2.Real-time nature
For children aged 8-12, they are more willing to explore the unknown world outdoors. This may also increase the probability of accidents because unknown dangers are everywhere. When your child is injured and unable to move while playing outside, the SOS emergency call function of GPS kids smart watch plays a very important role. The child only needs to press a button to directly find their parents or other emergency contacts. Therefore, even if you choose a GPS kids watch for your child, it is not to monitor their location at all times, but to ensure that they can get help as soon as possible in case of an emergency.
3.Special needs of children
For some special needs of children, having a GPS kid smart watch is like buying personal insurance. Your child may be happily chatting with you today, but the next day he may run away from home.
At this time, you can quickly locate your child through GPS, which is the most suitable electronic tool for children who cannot take care of themselves. Some people may ask, what if the child loses their vision? This issue is actually related to the price and brand of the GPS kids watch you choose. The kids smart watch like Apple's iWatch and HUAWEI Kids Watch 4 come with a program similar to an AI robot, such as series. Children only need to wake up the robot to call their parents.
4.Compared to smartphones, GPS kids smart watch have a better cost-performance
When parents are asked whether to give their child a smartphone or a GPS children's watch, the most parents are more inclined to choose the latter. There are two reasons for this.
The first reason is that smartphones have many gaming applications and social media that are not suitable for children to read, and may lead to children becoming addicted to the games. As parents, they do not want to buy electronic products that will cause their children to develop bad habits, so they are more inclined to choose a kids smart watch with GPS functions, which can not only protect their children's safety but also help them develop good habits.
The second reason is that smartphones are too expensive compared to GPS smart watches. For example, an iPhone costs nearly $999, while choosing a good quality GPS kids smart watch with phone capabilities, such as the TickTalk 4 kids phone watch, only costs $199.
Why do people say GPS kids smart watch are not really safe?
1.Information leakage
This issue is actually related to the working principle of GPS kids smart watch. Generally, the watch needs to be connected to a related mobile app to realize the tracking and positioning function, rather than obtaining location information directly through the watch itself. When you find your child's real-time location through the mobile app, you can indeed feel more at ease because you know that your child is currently in a safe situation.
However, what you may not know is that while protecting your child, you may also leak your child's location information to criminals. In addition to tracking location information, criminals may also use hacking programs to control your child's watch to take photos and other operations.
According to a report by ZDNet. Enox Safe Kid One kids smart watch has been recalled by the European Union over data privacy concerns. Because people who bought this watch found that when using this watch, they often received some calls from unknown sources. That's why kids smart watch have been banned in Germany since 2017. According to a report by BBC NEWS on November 17, 2017, German regulators have banned the sale of smart watch for kids, calling them spy devices.
2.Limitations of positioning
The positioning information of GPS kids smart watch only works when connected to a smartphone network or WIFI. When there is no network base station coverage near your child's location, the GPS function will be disabled, and you will not be able to track your child's real-time location.
Additionally, if your smartphone runs out of battery and restarts, it may not be able to connect to the GPS kids watch because the child is too far away to receive a signal. These two issues are mainly due to the fact that the technology for producing GPS children's watches is not yet fully mature, and the watches have not yet become a truly independent entity.
3.International regulation of GPS kids smart watch manufacturers is not yet complete
We can now see various GPS kids smart watch on Amazon, with prices ranging from $15.99 to $199.99.
Why do their prices differ so much? We all know the saying "you get what you pay for," and low-priced products are bound to have defects in functionality, such as poor chip quality and short life battery. However, these low-priced products can still be sold on the market because they do have relevant qualifications and certifications, indicating that international regulation of manufacturers producing GPS kids smart watch is still incomplete.
If you really want to choose a truly safe GPS kids watch for your child, you may need to invest more in its technical guarantee, such as choosing products from well-known brands like Apple and Huawei.
In cases where the price is similar, why not choose a kids sports watch with comprehensive functions and no need to worry about the accuracy of the GPS feature?
Cheertone has been focusing on the electronic educational toys for children aged 3-12 for 17 years, and has 15 years of experience in OEM & ODM. We not only have a research and development team of more than 50 people and 500+ production staff, but also have various international factory certifications and product certifications, such as BSCI, ISO9001, CE, EN71, and so on.
Why don't we produce GPS kids smart watch?
Because our original intention is to be an enabler that brings happiness to children. Tracking the location of children may indeed have a protective effect, but this function is mostly to meet the needs of parents, rather than what children really need. For children aged 3-12, sports, entertainment, and exploration are the labels of their age. As parents, we should choose to spend more time with our children, accompany them to learn, grow, and explore the unknown world together. Within our ability, we should let children rely on us for a sense of security, rather than relying on GPS kids smart watches.
This IP68 waterproof kids fitness smartwatch produced by Cheertone has 6 sports modes, as well as data monitoring functions such as heart rate monitoring and body temperature monitoring, which can definitely meet all the needs of your child's daily exercise. View more details at Kids sport watch CT-S2