Is Giving My Tween An AppleWatch & An iPad Safer Than A Smartphone?

The answer isn't straight forward

The Apple Watch + iPad combo is a very popular solution for parents who don’t want to give their kids smartphones.  There are some pros and cons to this path.

Pros

• You did it! First and foremost, this option is successfully not giving your child a smartphone!

• Time efficient. If you’re an Apple family, you likely already know at least a little bit about how Apple devices work v. learning a new Operating System.

• Passes the cool test. Apple devices definitely pass the cool test which is a real thing for many kids

• May be cost efficient. If you’re an Apple family, giving your child an older iPad when you upgrade yours or adding a child to a Family Plan can potentially save money. *

*Note: if your plan is to severely limit access on these devices, it may be cheaper to go with a separate cheapie plan because you aren’t really using much data.

Cons

• Time management bug. Apple has a persistent time management bug where time limits set up through Family Center don’t “stick” and kids can blow right through them. Apple keeps saying they are going to fix it but its been literal years.

• Apple Watch is almost a smartphone. An Apple Watch has more in common with a smartphone than the parent managed watches and phones like Bark, Pinwheel, Troomi or Gabb because of the parental control bugs & limitations and access to the internet.

• Apple Watch can be more distracting than a smartphone. If not properly locked down, ie access and notifications severely limited, an Apple Watch is like having a smartphone tethered to your body.

• You can NOT effectively shut down group texts on Apple devices. You can turn off MMS, but it doesn't fully block the ability to send and receive group texts.

• You can NOT effectively monitor texts without additional effort and possibly a hack**

**to monitor texts on an Apple device you need to either buy a third party monitoring system like Bark which can be buggy itself or implement the “Snoop-pad”*** which I describe below.

Critical Supports

If you’re already committed to this path, it's ok! I’m not here to torpedo your plan.  This is a viable pathway, it will just require some extra effort including these critical steps: 

• Give your child a separate Apple ID and connect to it through the Family Center. 

• FULLY set up the device level parental controls focusing on how you want to limit time, content and communication (here for general Apple instructions; here for Apple Watch specific instructions).

• Download and use the free Family Link app to lock down Chrome browser and YouTube (instructions here).

• Consider a “SnoopPad”*** or a third party monitoring service like Bark to monitor the content of text messages or else commit to reviewing messages with your child.

***What the heck is a “Snoop-Pad?”

I cannot take credit for this name. A parent in one of my talks shared that she is able to successfully monitor her child’s iPad and Watch activity through a separate iPad that she owns and calls the “Snoop-Pad.” The “Snoop-Pad” is a device whose sole purpose is monitoring a child’s Apple Life. The “Snoop-Pad” is logged into the child’s Apple ID thereby allowing mom to see all messages coming through iMessage.

Apple Watch Considerations

First, as the family organizer in your Family Sharing group, make sure you have set up your kid’s Apple Watch for someone who doesn’t have their own iPhone.

Make sure the watch is a cellular-capable Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch Series 4 or later. 

Using the Apple Watch app and Screen Time on YOUR iPhone, manage:

• Communications limits and safety

• A schedule for time away from the screen

• Schooltime—a feature that limits certain Apple Watch features during school hours

• Restriction settings for explicit content, purchases, and privacy

Know that you can view Location information for the managed Apple Watch based on how it’s set up.

Disabling browser/managing apps

• Please know that highly motivated kids can get to the internet on their Apple Watches. It's not easy but it is possible through Siri or through a link sent to them in a text or email. The only way to stop this is to disable the browser.

• To disable the browser you need to disable Safari through the Apple Parental Controls and ALSO you need to disable Chrome through the Family Link app.

• If you are blocking specific apps (Snapchat for example) be sure to block the web version (snapchat.com for example) as well. But honestly, I would block the internet entirely for the watch and only allow a few functional or necessary apps. I have yet to find a reason why a child needs internet access on their watch.

iPad Considerations

• You can add more access to the internet and apps on the iPad than the Apple Watch if you choose but I would still set up the parental controls.

• And, as above, if you block Snapchat for example, make sure to also block snapchat.com.

• If your child is involved in Group Chats which is common on iPads, you are going to have to manually monitor them. This means either sitting with your child and going through the chats, doing a Snoop-Pad or setting up a third party service like Bark. 

Paid Subscribers get the audio version of this post.