Tick Talk 5 Watch ($12’7) Calling the Tick Talk Watch a “watch” is something of a misnomer. It is really a Dick-Tracy-like 2-way phone your child can wear on the wrist. Yes it can tell them the time, but it does so much more. The way it limits who your child can call and (even more importantly) who can call them is determined by the parent using an app. Only people in the approved list can communicate with your child, and there are two levels of access governing incoming and outgoing calls. In the United States calls are handled on the Verizon network. There are multiple levels of service that include limited or unlimited data and calling. The most basic package costs 10 dollars per month (but then tack on 20 percent more for taxes and fees). Each watch can have up 53 approved contacts.
Many parents will appreciate the peace of mind being able to call and even locate their child’s general whereabouts gives them during the course of the day using GPS.
Amazingly, in addition to being able to communicate with text and voice calls, the watch has a video camera and can do FaceTime-like calling. Note, it does not use FaceTime, and would be video callers to the watch have to use the TickTalk app to make the call. Video calls are limited to three minutes in length to preserve battery life, prevent overheating, and help your child stay focused.
A big button on the phone initiates an emergency call to a designated recipient. The phone is also capable of making 911 calls.
My biggest concern if that the watch is not fully waterproof, but only IP67 water resistant . The company does not recommend swimming or bathing with the watch. My limited time testing the device doesn’t really tell whether it will hold up to a year of actual child usage. Your child's milage will certainly vary, though the watch will likely work well short of full water immersion for prolonged periods. However, I would hate to see the device turn into a pain point between parent and child. It rests on you to determine whether your child is ready for the responsibility aa phone of this type (and expense) requires.
One thing I like very much is that, despite the phone feature, this is not a “smart watch” in the conventional sense of the word. There are no games built in to be a distraction.
An optional charging stand makes nightly topping off easy, though the watch can also be charged with the included cable. The stand offers a bit of color, and makes the whole process a bit more fun.
This device is probably best for that limited window of time before your child turns into a teen but is ready to be out on her own for school and after-school activities. The design is a bit chunky and “child-like” to be acceptable to the teens we showed it to. They wanted an Apple Watch. But, for the right child and the right parent, this is one of the top presents I can imagine.
