Gain peace of mind no matter where your children are. If you’re doing some Black Friday 2022 shopping, we rounded up the best GPS devices and trackers for kids that offer real-time tracking, alerts, and more.
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Pros & Cons
pros
Real-time tracking
Designed specifically for kids
cons
Monthly subscription fee
More Details
Tech specs: Price: $129 | Battery life: One week | Real-time tracking: Yes | Monthly cost: $8.99 to $16.99 per month | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular, GPS
Jiobit’s Smart Tag is our pick for the best GPS tracker for kids. It’s a small tracking device that clips onto a belt, but you can also use accessories to place the Smart Tag on your child at all times. The device comes with a charging cradle for powering the battery, which typically lasts around a week per full charge depending on your settings and use.
In addition to the device price, the smart tag requires a monthly subscription with three different plans to choose from. The « Basic » plan costs $8.99, Plus is $14.99 and Protect is $16.99 per month. Each plan includes always-on connectivity and real-time location tracking, along with navigational directions to the Smart Tag’s location. The Plus and Protect plans include extra features such as unlimited users (to share the location with), unlimited GeoFence locations (basic is limited to 2), and 30-day location history, along with push, SMS and email alerts.
Also: The best Bluetooth trackers
There’s a small button on the front of the tracker that a child can press to alert a guardian of their location and, if needed, dispatch emergency services by calling 911. This feature is only available when you sign up for the Protect plan.
The Jiobit Smart Tag is designed specifically for kids and includes ample features to help you keep tabs on your child at all times. However, it’s also one of the most expensive trackers on a monthly basis, out of every GPS device we tested.
Pros & Cons
pros
Inexpensive
Battery lasts for one year
cons
Only works with Apple products
Problems with Apple’s Find My network
More Details
Tech specs: Price: $29 or 4 for $99 | Battery life: 1 year | Real-time tracking: No | Monthly cost: None | Connectivity: Bluetooth, Apple’s Find My Network
Apple’s AirTags are about the size of a quarter, and there are countless accessories you can use to attach the small tracker to a jacket or backpack — or you can even slip it into a pocket. There’s no monthly fee, and the battery lasts around a year — after which you can replace the CR2032 battery.
Apple has tried to make it clear that AirTags are not meant to track pets or children, but it’s only natural to be curious: How well can an AirTag keep track of your kid? In general, an AirTag does an okay job. The problem is that an AirTag requires another Apple device to be nearby and connected to the internet in order for its location to be shared with Apple’s Find My network.
Read the review: Apple AirTags review: Tile can’t compete with Apple’s Find My network
For example, tracking a young child on the school bus requires someone — most likely another student or the bus driver — on the bus to have an iPhone or cellular Apple Watch. If there aren’t any Apple devices on the bus, the location can’t update.
Another potential drawback to AirTags is that you need another Apple device to view the location. That means you’ll need an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch for the initial setup, and after that, you can use a Mac to view the AirTag’s location.
