Pinwheel, a kid-friendly tech company, is introducing a new solution for parents who want to stay connected with their children without giving them a phone. The Pinwheel Watch is a recently launched smartwatch designed specifically for kids aged 7 to 14, offering a child-safe alternative that prevents access to social media and the internet. It features parental management tools, GPS tracking, a camera, voice-to-text messaging, fun mini-games, and — here’s a surprise — an AI chatbot. The smartwatch itself features a sleek black design and a screen that is slightly larger than that of an Apple Watch. In addition to a more standard set of parental controls, the feature some parents might be wary of is the watch’s AI assistant, “PinwheelGPT.” PinwheelGPT is designed as a safer alternative to typical AI chatbots, enabling kids to ask questions about various topics, including everyday curiosities, social interactions, and homework-related questions. In addition to the AI feature, kids and tweens can make calls and send texts on the watch by using voice commands or a keyboard. There’s also a camera for video calls and selfies, along with a voice recorder app. The parent-monitoring features are available through the “Caregiver” app. This allows parents to create a “Safelist” of contacts that their children are permitted to talk to, as well as reject certain phone numbers from being added to the list.