A boom in tools for keeping tabs on kids

Pagers run on separate networks from cellular phones and coverage is far more extensive. Not only are they less expensive - about $15 per month for basic service - pagers are also less obtrusive than cellphones, and will not interrupt class with an obnoxious shrill tone when a message comes through.

Motorola's Talkabout T900 series - in "razberry ice," "mystic blue," and "aqua ice" - are among the most desireable pagers among kids. They feature two-way text messaging and e-mail. The device costs about $150, but rebates are prevalent. For the most part, pagers have lost their stigma as the tool of choice for drug dealers, perhaps in part because of the perky design.

BlackBerry, a two-way pager equipped with e-mail, Internet access, and some calendar features, is generally the choice of the business set. Running at about $400, plus $40 a month, it may be out of most families' price range, although its reliability is unmatched, in part because of the way in which units are networked.

Finally, two-way radios are a fun toy for expeditions such as camping and useful for groups roaming the mall. RadioShack has a low-maintenance, one-button product for $40.

Otherwise, expect to pay plenty for extra perks. Motorola's radios are packed with tech toys, including a digital compass, altimeter, and barometer. The cost: $130. It only transmits up to 5 miles, which probably is not an adequate distance for general parent-child communication.

Once equipped, children cannot expect carte blanche in the classroom. Some schools prohibit students from using cellphones and pagers altogether. Others insist that the devices be left in lockers.

Schools in Kentucky's Jefferson County, for example, lifted their ban on wireless devices last year to accommodate students' need to set up schedules after school. The change, according to spokesman Maurice Risner, went without a hitch. "There are a few incidents of students not turning them off during class, but those are the overwhelming exception," he says.

Still, parents' efforts to strengthen communication with their children through technology can backfire. Fifteen-year-old Amanda Hadad, a junior at the Commonwealth School in Boston, says her parents bought her a cellphone to stay in touch in case of an emergency. They call her to check up at night and on weekends, too. But she has proved to be elusive. "If I don't want them to track me, I just turn it off," says Amanda.

Instead, she uses the phone to stay in contact with her expanding circle of friends. "My parents don't want people calling the house late, so [the cellphone] is the only way to stay in touch with friends."

Besides simply broadening a child's social circles, cellphones can also give parents a false sense of connectedness, says Sherry Blake, a clinical psychologist in Atlanta.

"People need to realize that cellphones and pagers do not replace the one on one, the face to face," says Dr. Blake.

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