Susan Alfieri sends her 9-year-old daughter outside to play every afternoon with instructions to be back in time for dinner. She’s one of a small but growing number of parents trying to give their kids a taste of the freedom they enjoyed growing up—but with a reassuring digital tether.
She bought her daughter a Verizon smartwatch in January so she could phone home if needed while walking back from school. During the coronavirus lockdowns, the watch became a way for her daughter to get outside. Now, as stay-at-home orders…