Any $$ hardware I give my kid will need device tracking, because they will likely misplace it more than once. And once you have device tracking… you have tracking.

And the other poster is right, wrist format is best for kids.

It’s not strapped to their wrist so it’s easier to lose for starters.

Yes but presumably this is a convenience for older kids and we're not expecting toddlers to roam about anywhere, gps or otherwise. They're capable of taking responsibility for a device.

There are a huge range of kids between toddlers and teenagers, and a huge range of variation in levels of responsibility between different children of the same age. Some kids are totally trustworthy when it comes to roaming but at the same time completely flaky when it comes to keeping track of expensive personal belongings.

And, needless to say, if you conscientiously avoid location tracking on the device then you can't use tracking to find it when it's inevitably misplaced.

There is a rather strong correlation between the type of kid who would most benefit from this device, and the type of kid who is most likely to irresponsibly lose a phone. I'm imagining a child with ADHD who compulsively elopes.