Absolute Gadget

Kids - you love 'em but your daren't let them go out in case the start sniffing glue or get kidnapped by a nonce. But what do you do when the blighters want to go out by themselves and, God forbid, play outside with their mates. One British company has come up with a watch that is the equivalent of electronic tagging for little'uns.

The Num8 watch is made by Lok8u (locate you in English) and was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The £149 timepiece is fitted with a GPS locator which sends back a signal to parents that allows them to find out where children are in real time.

Your kids whereabouts can be displayed on a Google Map much like that map that Harry Potter uses.  It will also alert you if your kids leave a pre-designated area. Parents can track locations via the Num8's website.

The unit is accurate to three metres and if the child removes the watch (because it isn't cool to wear a tag), it will send an emergency text to a pre-specified mobile number along with the last location the watch was active.

Parents will also be required to shell out £5 a month to subscribe to the service.

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