Google announced a smartwatch for kids — and it looks pretty good

Google announced a new smartwatch aimed at kids ages 7 and up — the Fitbit Ace LTE. The watch can call and text parents over LTE service (with a data plan), and parents can track their kids through GPS. There’s also some gamified activity monitoring for the kids. (It is a Fitbit, after all.)

If the concept of a child sporting a smartwatch seems far-fetched, it’s likely because you don’t have a child between the ages of 6 and 13. For many parents, the Fitbit Ace LTE is a practical solution, offering a way to communicate with their child without the need for a full-fledged phone. It also serves as a tool for tracking their child’s activity, providing a sense of security without stifling their independence.

The Fitbit Ace LTE works over LTE and requires a data plan but not an extra phone line. It can call and text up to 20 people entered as contacts into the device—but only those who have the Fitbit Ace app installed on their phones. This means that kids don’t have free rein to call or text just anyone through the device (no calling for pizza delivery, for example). According to the specs, only parents can access the GPS tracking.

It is a Fitbit, so there’s some activity tracking and gamification of movement, as well as some video games that can be played with points for achieving fitness goals. (The video game can be deactivated during “School Time” mode.)

Other smartwatches aimed at the not-ready-for-a-phone age demographic include the Verizon Gizmo Watch 3, the Garmin Bounce, and the Gabb Watch 3. Gabb is a company that makes devices for kids only—it also has a smartphone that is far more locked down in terms of privacy and safety for kids than the average phone (i.e., no social-media apps can be downloaded, no open internet browsing).

The Apple Watch is slightly more fraught as a kid device since models with a cellular plan are more expensive, and parental controls that block social apps or internet use are more complicated to set up.

The Fitbit Ace LTE is $229, which is more expensive than some competitors. We haven’t tested this yet, but based on the features and the images of the sleek, rounded design and the screen images of the apps — it looks really good.