Wristwatches have always been cool. Digital watches have a special fascination for kids, as they are tough, water-resistant, and have bright colors and logos. They also have little handy features like an alarm, a stopwatch and now, a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit. This feature is more for the guardians than for the child.

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p>How Does It Work?

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p>Well, most of a GPS watch works just like a regular digital watch. It keeps time programmed to an atomic clock and usually has extra features like one button 911 dialing, programmable alarm and built-in pager. Those are the cool features your kid can show off to his or her friends. The GPS function is something the kids guardians can show off to their friends.

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p>An orbiting satellite constantly beams down to earth a low-level radio signal which can be picked up by any civilian GPS device, like in a car or a GPS watch. The GPS watch then transmits where it is on the globe to your computer. Most child-tracking GPS watches include information about tracking your child by either logging onto a website or by dialing the company s phone number. There usually is a monthly or annual subscription plan to pay for.

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p>As Long As The Kid Is Wearing It

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p>The only snag so far with GPS watches is that the child has to keep on wearing them. Until there are injectable GPS devices, you have to trust that your child will keep on the GPS watch. For this reason, it is not recommended to get a child under 5 a GPS watch. Depending on your child s rate of responsibility, you might want to wait until they are at least 10 before getting them a GPS watch.

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p>A GPS watch has other cool features to encourage the child to keep the watch on and bright colors and designs. They can t turn the GPS function off only a separate device such as a key fob on the guardian or parents key chains can do that. It is recommended to tell your child that his or her new watch has a GPS function. Explain that the function is there just in case of emergencies rather than snooping.

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p>If the child is resentful of wearing a GPS watch, then unless the child is going to be climbing Everest anytime soon, don t get a GPS watch. It might cause more friction than it is worth. Perhaps you could compromise with a cell phone.

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