We Called, Texted, and Tracked Our Kids for 6 Months to Find the Best Kids' Smartwatches (2024)

• Our Picks

• We Also Tested

• How We Tested

• Our Experts

• What to Look For

• FAQ

• Why Trust Verywell Family

Why We Recommend It

If you’d like a way to contact or track your kid but they’re not yet old enough for a phone, the Verizon Gizmo Watch is a smart solution. It has enough features to make younger kids feel like one of the big kids whilst maintaining age-appropriateness. Plus, it has plenty of parental controls and safety precautions so caregivers can feel confident about giving it to their kids.Our young tester enjoyed playing the included games—only a few are available on the watch, which we appreciated.

Setting up this smartwatch is fairly seamless. Parents can add up to 20 approved contacts who can message or call the kid through the GizmoHub app or another Gizmo Watch. The watch itself can only send preset phrases, emojis, voice memos, or video messages (recorded with the watch's front-facing camera), so your kid can’t text just anything they want. This can be a positive or a negative, depending on your family’s needs, but it’s useful for younger kids.You’ll also get an alert every time they send a text or make a call, which we think is a handy safety feature, but some may find it annoying if your kid is an avid texter.

This watch has geographic boundaries, so you can get alerts if your kid strays from that area. Unfortunately, during testing we found that the smallest radius is still pretty big: It encompassed our apartment and our kid’s school, which are a city block (1,400 feet or so) away, so it was hard to tell whether our kid was at home, at school, or walking in between. (This may not be much of an issue for kids who go to school farther away from home, though.)

The sound quality is much like any phone on speaker: not crystal clear but still plenty clear. After six months of use, there are a few scratches on the screen, but nothing that interferes with using the watch. Our kids particularly like the color of this watch, which is available in several bright shades with an adjustment loop in a contrasting color. To charge, make sure it’s accurately centered on the included charger. The battery will last up to three days on standby. For us, it lasted about a day and a half with average usage.

The Takeaway

The smartwatch is easy for younger kids to navigate thanks to the straightforward app icons and voice memo messaging. It's also among the lower-priced options on our list, making it a great first foray into technology for your kid.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: Up to 3.6 days standby time
• Compatible Networks: Verizon
• Number of Contacts Allowed: 20 with caregiver approval
• Screen Size: 1.4 inches
  

Why We Recommend It

The Apple Watch SE is an excellent pick for tweens and teens. Older kids will enjoy its advanced features, while caregivers will appreciate the price (it’s less expensive than other Apple models) and the parental controls. With this smartwatch, kids can play games, set homework timers, ask Siri questions, track their physical activity, or iMessage their friends. They can also make phone calls, including an SOS call to 911 if needed. The band is easy to take on and off and comes in many fun colors, while the charger works quickly. The watch is fairly simple to set up, but pairing it with the Apple Watch app can be wonky at times.

Through Apple Family Sharing settings, caregivers can set parental controls for App Store and iTunes purchases, screen time limits, and trusted contacts. Once enabled, you can also set up other features like location sharing, Siri, Apple Cash Family, iMessages, emergency contacts, medical ID, and more. Additionally, you can turn on Schooltime mode, which limits access during school hours. One of our kids particularly loved the fun facts app she downloaded, as well as the activity features: The watch shows three rings with goals for movement, exercise, and standing.

As parents, our primary concern is our child’s safety, so we appreciate the watch’s near-real-time tracking. We were able to fetch an accurate location with a delay of only 15 to 30 seconds. It’s an easy feature to set up since it pops up during the initial watch setup. It’s most handy if the caregiver also has an Apple device since the location tracking operates using Apple’s Find My app. But with Family Setup, the watch can access every feature without being paired to an iPhone.

Though this is the priciest pick on our list, we trust teens and tweens to take better care of their belongings. After six months of use in our test, there were only a couple of trivial scratches; once a screen protector was applied, no further scratches appeared.

The Takeaway

This is the base model Apple Watch, so teens and tweens can enjoy a full-featured smartwatch that they can use for years. Once they’re old enough, all parental controls can be removed.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: Up to 18 hours
• Compatible Networks: Any network that works with an iPhone
• Number of Contacts Allowed: Unlimited, once approved by caregiver
• Screen Size: 1.7 inches
  

Why We Recommend It

One of the primary reasons parents want a smartwatch for their kids is to contact and locate them when they’re not together, which can’t be done if the watch battery doesn't last. Even the most responsible kids are bound to forget to charge their watches overnight from time to time, so we appreciate that the Garmin Bounce has a particularly impressive battery life. Though it varies depending on whether live tracking is enabled, we found that when it had a full charge in the morning, this smartwatch typically had around 70% of the battery left at the end of the day—more than many of the other options we tested.

The safety features are great, too. As long as the “Assistance” feature is enabled, if your kid needs help, their contacts will receive a message with a tracking link to their live location. Parents can also add up to 20 approved contacts (kids can’t add any by themselves) to whom kids can send emojis, preset texts, or audio messages through the Garmin Jr. app (available on Apple or Android), though the watch can’t record video messages. The preset texts are customizable, so if certain phrases will come in handy for your family, you can program them into the watch.

Additionally, the location tracking on this watch works quite well. You can set geographic boundaries and be alerted when your kid enters or exits that area. This feature is particularly useful if your kid takes the bus home while you’re at work or walks to school by themselves.

Since it tracks health data like heart rate, steps, sleep, and exercise, it’s great for sporty kids—even swimmers: The swim-friendly watch can withstand water pressures up to 50 meters. Kids can also set timers or stopwatches, which is great for reading, workouts, homework, or chores. Thanks to the sophisticated design, kids can feel grown up: Our 9-year-old tester commented that he likes wearing it because “it doesn’t look like a kids’ watch.” It comes in a few different bright and neutral colors, so your kid can pick their preferred look.

The Takeaway

We think this reasonably priced watch is a worthwhile purchase due to its accurate location tracking, long battery life, and health data tracking.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: Up to 2 days
• Compatible Networks: Any
• Number of Contacts Allowed: 20 with caregiver approval
• Screen Size: 1.3 inches
  

Why We Recommend It

The Xplora XGO3 stands out because kids can use it to take pictures with the 2-megapixel camera. They can then send the photos to their parent-approved contacts (up to 50), which is a great way to stay connected with cousins or grandparents. Setup is a breeze with the quick start guide. The watch comes with a SIM card installed, so you’ll just need to choose one of Xplora’s plans, which start at $10/month. However, the instructions did not help describe how to use the smartwatch so we had to use the internet and contact customer service to fully start using the watch.

When it comes to texting, kids can only send canned messages—there’s no option to type one out. Audio messages and photos can also be sent, which contacts receive in the Xplora app, available on Apple and Android. You may need to disconnect the watch from Wi-Fi for the messages to go through, but it can be used on 2G, 3G, or 4G cell networks, so this isn’t a huge issue. The audio quality of phone calls is adequate.

We found the live location tracking impressively accurate—even on the streets of New York City; it refreshes frequently, provides timestamps, and logs 72 hours of location history. Caregivers will also appreciate school mode: When it’s enabled, kids can only tell the time so they can concentrate in school. The smartwatch also has alarms and a calculator, as well as a step counter that rewards kids with one coin for every 1,000 steps, which they can use to play games or change the watch face design.

This watch held up well to our kids’ activities—including cartwheels and playground fun—but we do wish a screen protector was included for extra durability (you can add one to your purchase for $17). The band is available in neutral and bright colors, so your kiddo can find one that fits their style.

The Takeaway

While we would have preferred more extensive instructions, once you get the hang of it, we love this watch for its camera, location tracking, and ability to add more contacts than most other options on this list. It's also one of our more budget-friendly picks.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: Up to 72 hours on standby
• Compatible Networks: T-Mobile and Xplora's connectivity
• Number of Contacts Allowed: 50 with caregiver approval
• Screen Size: 1.4 inches
  

Why We Recommend It

The Gabb Watch's features and functionalities are age-appropriate and intuitive for school-aged children. Kids can send one of 20 custom messages, audio messages, and emojis. Plus, focus mode means parents can set limits on when their kid can text and to whom they can send messages—the watch can reach up to 100 caregiver-approved contacts. We were able to set the watch to only be able to text a caregiver during school hours to reduce distractions. There’s an SOS feature, too, for added peace of mind.

Its digital pet feature is unique. Kids are motivated to check off tasks on their to-do list and hit their step goal to receive coins, which they can use to take care of their pet. They can also choose from 12 different wallpaper options and six themes. A nifty flashlight feature is available, and the battery life is pretty good—this smartwatch typically had 50% to 60% of the battery left at the end of a full day of use.

Setting it up with approved contacts and geographic limits is pretty seamless and the phone app interface is well-designed. Location tracking is pretty accurate though a bit slow compared to the Apple Watch SE. The location alerts are a mixed bag: Sometimes, we received alerts that our daughter had left school while she was still in class, or got automated messages that she got on the bus and arrived at school at the same time.

We found that the included watch band can be tricky for some kids to get on, and the plastic material isn’t the most comfortable. We decided to buy a separate sports band that attaches with velcro to make it easier for our 8-year-old. After a month of frequent use, we noticed some scratches on the watch screen, though they were only visible when the watch was turned off and they didn’t interfere with the functioning of the watch.

Editor's Note: Since we originally tested the Gabb Watch, a new version has become available. The Gabb Watch 3 has more storage and memory, Bluetooth connectivity, and best of all, increased durability: water resistance and a Gorilla Glass screen. It also has speech-to-text so kids can now dictate text messages and a nine-key keypad that can be used with emojis, alphabet, or numbers. We continue to recommend this product as a good, basic smartwatch for kids.

The Takeaway

The Gabb Wireless is a great introduction to technology for younger kids who aren’t ready for a phone yet. The Gabb 3's improvements also make it a worthy investment.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: 12-48 hours depending on usage
• Compatible Networks: Gabb Wireless
• Number of Contacts Allowed: 100 with caregiver approval
• Screen Size: 1.4 inches
  

Why We Recommend It

Kids love gaming, and what could be better than a watch with built-in interactive games they can play at any time? The T-Mobile SyncUP Kids Watch comes with several games—our kids couldn’t get enough of the "Dino Run” game and other entertaining features, like a voice changer, animations, two watch band options, and emojis and stickers they could use to text.

From the parents’ perspective, we appreciated that the games were much more limited than on a smartphone or tablet, so they weren’t too distracting. Plus, there’s a school mode that limits access to games and other potential distractions.The watch can make phone calls and has a built-in camera.

The texting function is convenient and easy to use. Unlike other kids’ smartwatches that only send preset messages, kids can type their own texts on the SyncUP Kids Watch’s keyboard. In addition, they can text emojis, stickers, and voice memos to their parent-approved contacts, who will appreciate that the messages appear on their phone in their texts rather than a specific app, like with the Garmin Bounce.

Though some features work well, we were disappointed by the location tracking and boundary alert functions. During testing, the tracker often showed that kids were a few blocks away from where they really were, and we sometimes got a “weak signal” alert when we tried to use the boundary alert feature, which is supposed to tell parents when their kid leaves a designated area. If location tracking is your main priority, we recommend the Apple Watch SE instead. We do like that the water-resistant smartwatch has a “Help” button, which allows kids to reach their emergency contacts or call 911, and a replaceable screen protector to help prevent scratches and shattering.

The Takeaway

If you’re looking for a fun watch that keeps your kid entertained and connected via text, the T-Mobile SyncUP Watch is a solid option.

Key Specs:

• Battery Life: Not specified, but during testing, we had less than 20% after a day of regular use
• Compatible Networks: T-Mobile
• Number of Contacts Allowed: Unlimited, once approved by caregiver
• Screen Size: 1.4 inches
  

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are there benefits to my kid having a smartwatch?

  According to our experts, there are mental health benefits to a child wearing a smartwatch, provided it’s used responsibly and in moderation. A smartwatch can help kids stay connected with their friends and family, monitor health data like heart rate and sleep patterns, encourage accomplishing tasks with to-do lists and rewards, and monitor their physical activity levels. Plus, kids’ smartwatches with messaging and location services can help both parents and children feel secure. However, if used excessively or without proper supervision, a smartwatch may lead to an increase in anxiety and stress. Excessive reliance on technology can also impact a child’s social skills and development.

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