Kids want freedom, and parents just want to know where they are ….
If you’ve ever wanted to keep track of your children (or perhaps an elderly relative), but felt a phone that was connected to the internet was a bit too much; then the SPACETALK™ phone-watch is the perfect device.
SPACETALK™ (by All My Tribe) is a revolutionary all-in-one wearable device for your child. It’s a 3G mobile phone, GPS tracker, AND a watch; plus you can do so much more with it!
I was recently sent one by the team at Spark to review and let you know my thoughts.
Now before I launch into it – I need to disclose a couple of things about myself and my family. We are a technology-heavy family; we love technology. We are also very aware of the ramifications of letting our children have access to this technology too young, so have always had a tight reign on it.
My children are almost 5 and 7, and before I reviewed this watch; I would never have gotten one for either of them. HOWEVER, I kept an open mind during the review process and was surprised at how I felt afterwards.
THE WATCH ITSELF:
SPACETALK™, at it’s core, is a watch that allows your child to make, and receive, phone calls and messages. HOWEVER, it is much more than a phone …
GPS TRACKING
Making sure our kids are safe is our number one priority as a parent. If your child walks to school, or takes the bus, OR even is perhaps prone to running away; then the SPACETALK™ smart watch is amazing.
Through it’s own GPS, and the AllMyTribe app, you can find out where your child is at any time. You can also set “Safe Zones” and be notified when they arrive and leave these.
SOS – HELP!
If your child is in danger, or needs help of any kind, there is a special SPACETALK™ SOS button.
This button can be programmed to call a sequence of family members, or guardians.
This button is on the left side of the watch and is easy to access – making it an important function for a child, or anyone, needing to contact someone quickly.
You have to hold the button down for 5 seconds to activate the SOS – it won’t activate if you accidentally press it.
NO SOCIAL MEDIA!
One thing you don’t really want young kids doing, is being on social media.
SPACETALK™ is a smart phone with no open access to the internet, and no social media apps to distract them from the real world.
No apps means less screen time! And honestly as a parent, it’s one less thing for me to worry about. I definitely don’t want my child having access to social media at this age.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE OTHER AMAZING FEATURES:
Just a couple of things to note: the watch itself is splash resistant. NOT WATERPROOF. So you can’t go swimming in it.
MY EXPERIENCE:
My husband was excited, and I was apprehensive. Was I ready for my almost 7 year old child to have this kind of technology on them? Can I get my 36 year old brain around this new technology? Could I even be bothered?
Well it turns out it is a very easy-to-set-up device, and the more I learned about SPACETALK™, the more my apprehensions subsided.
Chloe (my almost 7 year old) was beyond excited at the prospect of having her own “watch”.
She doesn’t really realise the capabilities of it – in fact the only thing she was excited about was the fact it counted her steps. I haven’t taught my daughter how to tell the time yet (I don’t know if that makes me a terrible parent or not haha), so the fact it is a watch doesn’t even register with her.
HOWEVER, once I installed the AllMyTribe app on my phone, I loved being able to see that she was at school, or WHEREVER she was. We started her off with it on the weekend, and then gradually let her take it to school.
I don’t let my kids walk to school, but I know that if this on my child’s wrist would certainly make me feel safer about them doing so.
I have also read quite a few reviews about SPACETALK™, and one of the reviews said that they gave it to their elderly parent (in their 80’s) to help not only contact them, but also know where they were.
When I reached out to my Instagram audience through Instastories (follow me Happy Mum Happy Child), quite a few people said “oh my goodness yes my child is a runner at school and it would be helpful to know where they are”.
So it’s not just to know if your child get’s to school and is ok, it’s helpful for kids who are runners, and for the elderly (or anyone) who wants to provide a basic tool to those who need to a) contact people, and b) know where people are.
The watch needs to be charged each night – the battery on it roughly lasts 24 hours. This is about the same as my own smart watch, so it’s no hassle for us to have to do this.
MY THOUGHTS:
In this time of “should I or shouldn’t I” when it comes to knowing my young child’s whereabouts – I think, I should.
Today is not the same as it was when I was growing up – we are all more aware of what is going on out there and for me personally, I struggle to let my kids “do their own thing”.
In my personal opinion, if my child was walking to school (and/or taking the bus), I would get them this watch.
Heck, now that I know about this watch I’m going to get Ronan one (he’s almost 5) when he’s old enough.
As parents in this day-and-age, we have to be smart with our kids, and with technology. And I feel like this is one way of being smart without our kids knowing.
We would be giving them freedom, whilst still keeping an eye on them.
As creepy as it sounds, sometimes it’s necessary.
Plus it’s not just a tracker. It’s a watch, it’s a phone, it’s a way for our kids to contact us. It’s a way for our kids to feel like they’re a bit more grown up.
WHERE TO BUY:
You can get your very own SPACETALK™ from Spark New Zealand.
It comes in four different colours – pink, teal and grey..
It costs $399, and can be paid off over 24 months interest free – perfect for Christmas if you’re thinking about it!
The watch also comes with Spark New Zealand‘s new, $7.99 monthly Smart Plan – which will allow you to stay connect with your child.
For more information, check out spark.co.nz/kids …
