A child’s first watch is a milestone, but like most childhood accessories, technology now plays a part. Like it or loathe it, if you’re a smartwatch wearer yourself, you’ve probably noticed an instant attraction from children, whether that’s fascination with the lights or asking about your step count.
But smartwatches are no longer strictly for adults, with a whole host of interactive watches designed with juniors in mind. Many of these kids smartwatches offer similar benefits to those for adults – activity tracking, goal setting and heart-rate monitoring. Some go further and become much like a mobile phone, with GPS tracking, calls and some even enable you to do video calls.
The more premium smartwatches that provide GPS tracking and communication options can offer great reassurance for parents. Like a simplified version of a mobile phone, if you’re looking for a product that can offer those features, parents should bear in mind it’s likely you’ll need to source a sim card, which may incur extra monthly costs. Often coined a “phone watch”, these are appealing if you’re not quite ready to purchase a mobile for your child, but want to safely stay in touch with them.
A smartwatch goes way beyond simply telling the time, although a bid to encourage timekeeping in our offspring shouldn’t be overlooked, many parents will also opt for a wearable tech gadget to encourage and track movement.
Many of our children already partake in some form of sport, with more than 90 per cent of children between five and 16 years old consistently being involved with it. By wearing a watch, they can reach their step goals, with more advanced options tracking heart rate, too.
Ultimately, parents should consider what they want to get out of their kids’ smartwatch, whether that’s a fitness tracker, mini mobile phone or simply a more interactive watch. Here, we’ve rouded up the best ones on the market.
With the help of a four-, six- and 13-year-old, we put a selection of kids’ smartwatches to the test over the course of two weeks. When testing, we looked at the range of functions the smartwatches offered, particularly how many tracking metrics they had, but also how easy they were to navigate for children of different ages.
Battery and screen quality and size were considered, but we also wanted the watches to be comfortable for all-day wear on mini wrists. Naturally, we wanted some fun as well as function from the watches, along with likeable designs, so the kids would wear them with pride.
