Parents today have a hard choice to make when it comes to deciding what age a child should get a cell phone. Staying in contact with your kid means giving them a cell phone that’ll keep them connected, but it also means opens them up to the world of social media and its addictive distractions.
There’s no right or wrong time to give your kid their first cell phone, but many experts agree that the longer you wait to give them their first smartphone, the better. But, what if you’re a parent who wants to be able to reach their child without giving them their own smartphone too early? We’ve found an answer.
Relay is a screen-free, water resistant, “cell phone” that allows your child to call your cell phone with the push of a button. It’s like a walkie-talkie that runs on a nationwide 4G LTE network and Wi-Fi — with bonus GPS tracking capabilities. Parents can talk to their kid’s Relay device using a Relay app for their own smartphone.
For parents who want a cell phone with limited numbers to call for their kids, Relay allows children to call parents when they’re home from school or out with friends, without the added worry of what they might be looking at on their screens or all of the other risks involved with giving a child phone access too early.
Parents can also use the Relay app on their phone to customize their child’s device to play music, offer language translation and talk to their friends who have Relay phones. The Relay phone itself is $50 and there is a $10 monthly charge to activate it on the 4G network.
Relay is available on Relay’s site, Amazon and Target — where we’ve spotted it cheapest for only $42.49 on sale. It comes in five fun colors, so you’re sure to find the perfect last-minute stocking stuffers for your own kid, or a niece or nephew.
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