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The Gabb Watch 3e resembles an Apple Watch but with more kid-friendly features, including parent-vetted contacts, enhanced durability, and a closed app store.
We're not the only ones who love this Gabb Watch! The company has just informed us that they are sold out, but plan to have them back in stock in 2–4 weeks. Please check back soon!
The upgraded myFirst Fone R2 stands out with its "Magic Button" and lighter design, making it a fun, kid-friendly smartwatch. It's ideal as a first watch for kids and parents.
With reliable FlexSIM coverage across the US, Mexico, and Canada—and low upfront and monthly costs—the COSMO JrTrack 4 is a watch you'll want to take on vacation.
The TickTalk 5 has the most ways to connect with family through video calls, cards, emojis, and voice messaging, whether you live across town or across the country.
The Bark Watch is built for safety. That means no games, apps, or music—just essential tools like GPS tracking and messaging, making it the best smartwatch for school days.
Kids' smartwatches function like GPS trackers but come with additional perks, like messaging and entertainment. Most include a “school mode” to reduce distractions during class. We prioritized watches that put safety ahead of fun and games.
Best for: Older kids starting school or sports who are ready for more responsibility.
The Bark Phone is a full-featured smartphone with built-in parental controls, offering unmatched social media monitoring to help protect kids from dangers like online predators, cyberbullying, and suicidal ideation. Best of all, you can be flexible with permissions as your child grows and matures into a responsible digital citizen.
The Gabb Phone 4 Pro is the best overall pick for safe apps and a closed network, designed to keep kids safe from online risks while still offering music, photos, messaging, and access to parent-curated apps.
Pinwheel offers the broadest range of kid-safe phones (there are five different models to choose from) and carrier options, making it easy to add to your existing cellular plan—no hassle, just safety and flexibility.
The MMGuardian Phone is a solid pick for families who want serious message monitoring. It scans texts and social media messages, flagging risks like bullying, explicit content, and inappropriate images.
We focused on phones specifically designed for kids, rather than adult smartphones with parental controls. The best models help kids form healthy tech habits from the start.
Best for: Tweens and teens who are ready to learn more about safe, responsible tech usage.
AngelSense is the best overall GPS tracker, designed for kids with autism and special needs. With life-saving features and unmatched accuracy, it’s built to keep kids safe and parents less stressed.
SecuLife Kids S4 pairs GPS tracking with standout two-way communication. The built-in two-way speakerphone features an auto-answer function, providing extra reassurance for both kiddos and parents.
Tack is a budget-friendly GPS tracker with unbeatable battery life, lasting up to 30 days per charge, and just $3–$5 per month for coverage in 120 countries. Most other trackers need daily charging, depending on how frequent the alerts are.
Tracki is a tiny, travel-ready GPS tracker that works in 190 countries—ideal for vacations or international travel with kids. Its real-time tracking, long battery life, and clip-on design make it easy to keep tabs on your child wherever you go.
GPS trackers are the simplest devices we reviewed, designed to keep tabs on kids without giving them full access to a phone or watch. They may have extra features like messaging, two-way talk, and a built-in SOS button.
Best for: Young kids or children with special needs.
Bark is the best overall parental control app, offering unmatched monitoring for texts, email, and social media. It’s ideal for guiding tweens and teens safely online—without overstepping their privacy. Plus, one subscription covers the whole family on unlimited devices.
Qustodio uses smart AI to spot signs of cyberbullying and online threats in real-time. With screen time limits, content filters, location tracking, and even a free version, Qustodio gives parents powerful tools to keep kids safe and supported online.
MMGuardian features powerful tools that allow parents to view call logs, read texts, and limit contacts, helping to block scams, bullying, and unwanted calls. It’s the ideal pick if you want more insight into who your child talks to and what they say.
FamilyTime has tools to manage screen time, contacts, and even driving speed. From shutting off internet access to getting alerts when specific people call or text, it’s an excellent fit for families with younger kids and tweens who need strong parental support.
We looked for versatile parental control apps that support customizable permissions based on a child’s age and maturity. We excluded any apps that function as spyware (e.g., keystroke loggers or tools installed without the child’s knowledge), as we believe digital parenting tools should support open communication and trust, not surveillance.
Best for: Protecting kids on shared devices or across multiple platforms.
Image: SafeWise. Testing out kids smart watches.
At SafeWise, we’ve been testing and evaluating kids’ safety tech for more than a decade, but 2024 marked the debut of our Kids Safety Awards. For the 2025 edition, we expanded our research and refined our categories to spotlight the best in kids smartwatches, GPS trackers, phones, and parental control apps.
These tools often share core features, like location tracking, communication, and screen-time management, so we began by clearly defining what sets each category apart. We then built detailed scoring matrices informed by hands-on product testing, parent interviews, expert input, and real customer feedback.
Our goal was to find products that strike a balance between safety, usability, and kid appeal. That meant avoiding "grown-up" tech like Apple Watches or iPhones—even though they’re popular with families—because they often include unnecessary features, pose higher privacy risks, and are easier for kids to outsmart. Instead, we focused on kid-specific tech: products intentionally built with children in mind and equipped with parent-controlled safety settings.
We also believe safety tech should empower kids to learn and grow, not just restrict them. We prioritized flexible tools that adapt to different parenting styles and allow kids to explore within safe, guided limits.
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