what are cell phones for kids?

Verizon Migo (with optional Chaperon service): This bright green phone is designed for kids between the ages of 5 and 9. It has five speed-dial buttons on the front (one is designated for emergency calls) that you can program via the Internet or on the handset. When a child pushes one of the buttons a question pops up on the screen – for instance, “call home?” or “calls dad’s cell?” If that’s right, they push send and the call is made. Migo is made to use Verizon’s optional Chaperon service that lets parents track the phone in real time on their handset or PC. For an additional charge, parents can set up boundaries for where the child can go. If the phone leaves the designated area, a text message alert will be sent to the parent’s phone. The Migo phone is $49.99 with a two-year service contract. The Chaperone service, which lets you locate the Migo phone via handset or PC, must be activated by a Family Share account, which is $9.99 per month. And the second phone is TICTALK by Enforma: This phone looks rugged, like a jogger’s stopwatch. It’s designed for kids age 6 and up and comes loaded with five educational games from LeapFrog, including Hangman, Math Defender and Monkey Math. The TicTalk doesn’t have buttons. It uses a rocker switch instead. You scroll through the numbers in the phonebook and push in to dial. Some kids found it very easy to use. Others had a hard time getting the hang of it. The TicTalk is $99 and available online at http://www.mytictalk.com/LeapFrog/ . It uses pre-paid phone cards. There is no activation fee. Coverage is limited.