FYI, we have a Gabb watch and the GPS is so-so and kind of laggy. Like if you were trying to track him to see when he got to a certain location. It's not on par with say, an Apple watch.

My kid can wander the neighborhood at nine but no watch. The watch would help my anxiety but I don’t actually need to know whether he is at Larla or Larlo’s house, and I don’t want to make him handle my anxiety.

If I need him to come home earlier than anticipated, I just text the 3-4 families he is most likely to be with and ask them to send them home if he is in their house. This is normal in our neighborhood.

Getting my 8 year old a gizmo for the same reasons. I like the peace of mind to let him ride his bike a little farther or meet up with friends after school and i know where he is. Also I dont like sitting through his sports practices so with the watch I can drop him an he can use the watch to contact us if something comes up.

My kids had that freedom at 9ish but no device until 12 in our house. I had the freedom to wander my whole neighborhood at 6 or 7 and I did not have a phone until late college.

My 10yo has a gizmo and he likes it. In retrospect, it is not strictly necessary. I can tell him to come home from the neighbor kid's house but I also could text the neighbor kid's mom.

It's fine, but unnecessary. A watch is not going to protect your child from the biggest danger: getting hit by a car.
If your child can be trusted to cross streets safely, and you have contact information for his friends parents/caregivers he should be able to safely go to friends around the neighborhood, staying within an approved radius.

I just got my 9yo dd a Gizmo watch. So far so good.

FYI we are not in dc. That would make a difference.

I have rules he doesn’t leave our property without asking. But we have a nearby cul de sac and some neighborhood friends.

At what age would you potentially give your child a gab watch. Let them have more freedom within a neighborhood of friends?

Currently we let our guy play in our yard anytime. 98% of the time this is with his little brother. When he had a best friend 4 houses down, I would let him walk there alone.

He’s 9. And I’m wondering about more freedom in the neighborhood. Is now the time or not yet?