The GizmoGadget is a good fit for your family, according to the PCMag review.

Primary schoolers who need to stay in touch with their caregivers via voice and text can use the GizmoGadget.

There are complicated lives for kids today.Between after school activities and various caregivers, they may need a way to stay connected with their families.The GizmoGadget is an excellent tool for that.Kids can stay in touch with their families by making calls and sending text messages without exposing them to games, the Internet, or communication with strangers.It was useful in testing with my nine-year-old daughter, and she liked it a lot.We're giving it our Editors' Choice award because we both liked it.

It's important for your device to not look dumb in order to appeal to the preteen set.The red and blue colors are bold, not babyish, and my daughter found the red appealing.You can snap the functional unit out of its band and into either the red or blue band, but you can't use a third-party band as that's where the antenna is located.

My daughter found the GizmoGadget more comfortable than the other safety devices she's tried.I could wear the band myself, but it was too small for me.She didn't find it sweaty, pokey, or painful to wear, and said she "forgot she even had it on" after a commute.You want to make sure your child keeps on using that device.

The 1.3-inch screen has a touch screen that you can use to show a menu of useful functions.There's an activity tracker, stopwatch, a timer, text messaging, and two cute, silly options: a voice change and a button that makes silly sounds.Children won't get distracted while wearing the watch in class because there are no games.Reading skills are required.Younger kids can use the GizmoPal, which doesn't have a screen.

To make a call, you need to press a physical button below the screen, scroll through the address book, and tap the person you want to call.The watch can only be used as a speakerphone, and it's loud enough to be heard on a noisy playground, so you and your kid will likely be shouting at each other.The reception is good on the 3G network.In my experience with children's devices, I've found those to generate more accidental calls to the emergency services than anything else.

On the parental side, you can set up 10 caregiver accounts that can locate the phone, and send and receive text messages with it, using the free GizmoHub app in the Google Play and Apple app stores.Anyone can play, even if they're not a subscriber with a More Everything plan.You can set up the 10 white listed phone numbers in the GizmoHub app.

My kid wanted to text, not call.It's not just a text, but a cute one.You can send a message to up to 30 people.The GizmoGadget allows them to send you up to nine preset, custom text messages in return.If your child wants to send a more complex, asynchronous message, they can record a short voice message and send it via the texting app.

GizmoHub's location finding abilities are the same as other similar gadgets.It's not exact in buildings, but it will often give you an address that is a building to either side of the one your child is in, just like other location-based apps do.Tracking your child's progress in a commute is much better.You can request locations as often as you want, and you can also set up fivegeofences that alert you when your child enters or leaves a specific area.

If you don't need location or text messaging, you can call the GizmoGadget's phone number.The battery life was good for a couple of days.It will last for two hours of talk time or eight days of stand-by, but my kid likes emoji.

AT&T and Verizon have kid-focused safety devices.AT&T's Filip 2 is more flexible than the GizmoGadget, and it is also more comfortable to wear.It's easy to use, fun, and safe.It's a great choice for children too young to carry a real phone, but who need to stay in touch with their caregivers throughout the day.I wish it was also available for parents who aren't subscribers.

More than 1,100 phones, tablets, and other gadgets have been reviewed by PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan.He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks projects in the US and Canada, runs our Race to 5G tracker, and writes opinions on tech and society.Segan is a multiple award-winning travel writer.Barcelona and Hong Kong are his favorite cities.He is a fourth-generation Manhattanite and now lives in Queens with his wife and daughter.