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Google releases smart watch for kids

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Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#701

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

Aeolun wrote: post #219
wincy wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a really naive take. I tried literally what you’re advocating. And what happened was some busybody lady in my neighborhood kept calling CPS when my daughter would walk to play at a friend’s houses down the block. When I was her age (6) I ranged an entire town on my bike. But this lady just kept calling on us. She’d bring my daughter home whenever she saw her out. It was infuriating. Once we got the Apple Watc…

There must be something you can do about that lady other than sticking a watch on your child. Something about harassment surely.

> There must be something you can do about that lady

No. Not a blessed thing. Most calls to CPS are anonymous and will never be investigated, no matter often or egregious.

My neighbor called CPS so often my kid would say "Oh. You again" when they showed up in school. I was designing a brochure for CPS agents to hang at the front door. It had all the schools and relatives with their contact info, along with a map to the fridge and bedrooms.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#702

Post by heyjamesknight »

boringg wrote: post #689
wmf wrote: post #3

Smartwatches may be an overlooked answer to the kid phone conundrum. Watches have the communication and location tracking that parents demand without the distraction of phones.

I'll add that while that may be true. I find that it doesn't matter what kind of screen it is - my kids are like moths to flame. Its the backlit lighting + some kind of interactivity that makes it attractive to play with.

The color is part of it. I put a greyscale filter on my phone and it’s insane how much it’s reduced the device’s ability to suck me in and keep me staring at it.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#703

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

dbish wrote: post #508
reitanuki wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

woah WTF, is this what it's like in the US??? Here in the UK we don't have Japan-level super-younglings walking to school on their own etc, but you certainly wouldn't get any bother walking around at age 6 unless you looked obviously lost. Hearing your experience is just so mindwarpingly boggling it's unreal..

This is not the overall US. This is a particular type of middle class suburb that is full of busybodies and helicopter parents.

It's any population center, city and metro area. They all have police and there's no shortage of cops who believe John Walsh's false stranger-danger narratives.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#704

Post by bryanrasmussen »

josefx wrote: post #469
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As I recall, a big part of growing up was spending time and doing things my parents didn’t want me to do. a big part of parenting is making sure your kid actually is at school, or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things.

> a big part of parenting is making sure your kid actually is at school Quite sure that is the schools job. At least where I live the schools tend to assume several of the rights and responsibilities that normally fall on the parents. > or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things. Do I want to know what you fucked up in your childhood that you assume your kids need constant monitoring to prevent…

>Quite sure that is the schools job. At least where I live the schools tend to assume several of the rights and responsibilities that normally fall on the parents.

whoops, you got me - I live where you live too so your argument is like really super good.

>> or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things.

>Do I want to know what you fucked up in your childhood that you assume your kids need constant monitoring to prevent a repeat?

Do I want to know what was done to you in your childhood that you uh, whatever that was?

on edit: fixed grammar

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#705

Post by bryanrasmussen »

rsa4046 wrote: post #485
josefx wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a big part of parenting is making sure your kid actually is at school Quite sure that is the schools job. At least where I live the schools tend to assume several of the rights and responsibilities that normally fall on the parents. > or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things. Do I want to know what you fucked up in your childhood that you assume your kids need constant monitoring to prevent…

> Quite sure that is the schools job. At least where I live the schools tend to assume several of the rights and responsibilities that normally fall on the parents. Yes. The school is responsible for their safety and whereabouts. US K-12 public schools, if the child is missing from school, parents are contacted immediately. Teachers are responsible for attendance. All this is accomplished without device tracking. Fed…

>US K-12 public schools, if the child is missing from school, parents are contacted immediately.

The US is definitely the world, and I am definitely in that world, and the people who make that assumption are definitely super smart all around.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#706

Post by hollerith »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #618
khazhoux wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. This topic is always so alarmist. I have kids and a spouse. We all have Find My and Location Sharing on our phones. I don't FrEaK oUt that my kids are going to die if I'm not tracking their every movement. But it's nice to glance at Find My app and see if the k…

Kids need to mess up, and do things outside of the sight of their parents to grow. They need to be able to do things their parents disapprove from time to time, or just hide some behavior that they feel shy about. Sex, meeting people outside of your social norms, attempting stupid stunts, and all that is part of growing. The simple fact you can know where they are at all time steal those opportunities from them, and…

You've never been a parent, have you?

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#707

Post by LeifCarrotson »

Havoc wrote: post #157

Does it come in ankle bracelet form factor?

Why yes it does!

Ankles are usually only slightly larger in circumference than wrists, my Garmin even does OK at picking up my heart rate when I'm working in the machine shop and wearing it on my ankle.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#708

Post by unregistereddev »

kccqzy wrote: post #352
pquki4 wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spending $300 already on a watch is already expensive (in addition to a $500-$100 phone), and it is a relatively small market, especially for watch OS watches. $230 on a kid's watch -- potentially more than one if you have more than one kid -- is definitely for parents who have money to spare.

It's clear to me that the point of this watch is that the wearer will not have a $500–$1000 phone in addition to the watch.

I mean, that's fair, but phones don't need to cost that much. I can buy a current-gen basic Moto for $60 in the Fi store today. Who buys current flagship phones for kids? Most families I know upgrade one device at a time and the kids get old hand-me-down devices.

It's a rich privileged family that is buying kids either new smartwatches or $500 - $1000 phones.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#709

Post by captaincaveman »

philomath_mn wrote: post #15
wmf wrote: post #3

Smartwatches may be an overlooked answer to the kid phone conundrum. Watches have the communication and location tracking that parents demand without the distraction of phones.

100%. My kid is not getting a smartphone until he's ~16 but we're looking at a restricted smart watch right now (a flip phone would also be acceptable but a watch is physically attached which is ideal for 7 year old).

Good luck with that!

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#710

Post by LeifCarrotson »

yobid20 wrote: post #634

Having gone through 5 different fitbit watches and them all breaking within a year or two, as well as two different fitbit scales and them breaking too, i have moved on and will NEVER look back. Fitbit is CRAP. let me reiterate. crap. C-R-A-P. crap. Lets use that in a sentence. Mark grumbled, "My Fitbit is such crap—it breaks down faster than I can count my steps!" And for those wondering, I moved onto Garmin watches…

Having gone through just 2 Garmin watches over the last 10 years (though the upgrade from the FR220 was only to get optical heart rate, it's still perfectly serviceable), how did it possibly take you that long to learn that?
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