This week let’s get a handle on Smartwatches for Tweens. Specifically, why to consider one, and which ones are the best.
Why to buy
To me, the main reason to give a tween a smartwatch is independence for them with some peace of mind for you.
A Smartwatch allows parents to monitor a kid’s location and be in touch from afar. It can help teach responsibility— it has to be charged, it has to be put back on after being charged. It can be a good organization/time management tool— we have used ours to set homework timers. And, lastly, some have educational games and apps (although one might argue those are a distraction not a benefit).
Risk to consider
As with all tech, there are risks with smartwatches. They can be distracting, they can inhibit social interaction, and they can kick-off or exacerbate over-dependence on technology. A smartwatch may very well be the first device your tween owns that isn’t shared with other family members. So its a good time to establish/review/update the family rules about screen time, appropriate content and communication conduct. If the smartwatch you choose has access to the internet / apps, look into to the content controls. And most critically, talk with your tween about about responsible online behavior particularly around cyberbullying and strangers.
The Best Ones
Your decision will probably come down to the features you most care about and the price. This list shows how we narrowed down our choices and ultimately picked one. We started with 4 trusted sources who had recently ranked Smartwatches for Tweens. Here are the 6 Best Smartwatches with prices, most most attractive qualities and any concerns:
Apple Smartwatch SE- (~$240) was on 4/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists. Considered the best all around on two lists and touted as best performing BUT also the most expensive and since its a “grown up” watch, IMO it has ALOT of extra access (to apps/ internet and texting) that your tween may or may not need.
Verizon Gizmo Disney- (~$200) was on 3/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists. Considered best overall on one list and best for Verizon users on 2 others. Touted as dependable BUT only for Verizon customers.
TickTalk 4- (~$200) was on 3/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists. Considered best overall on one list. Touted as most durable and also bigger.
Garmin Vivofit Jr.- (~$90) was on 3/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists. Touted for activity tracking and long battery life. Its also the least expensive.
Gab Watch 2 - (~$150) was on 2/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists. Considered a good value, referred to as a “smartphone with training wheels.”
Xplora X5 Play - (~$150) was on 1/4 “Best Smartwatches for Tweens” lists and noted for best GPS.
What we chose at our house
We went with the Disney Gizmo from Verizon. Here’s why:
We are Verizon users.
It made 3/4 of 4 lists. Also, we generally trust Wirecutter reviews which ranked it as tops for dependability.
Its pretty pared down. We liked that it limits texting to only the parents, limits calling to 10 numbers, and also doesn’t have access to the internet / apps.
It has tracking. All Gizmos have GPS and the Disney version has SOS and auto-call features as well.
Its worth sharing here that our Tween does not care about texting friends. His interest in texting is limited to asking whats for dinner and why I haven’t responded instantly. I can imagine many other tweens might want to send messages to their friends and you may or may not want this for them. (I will address messenger apps / tween texting in general in a separate post)
Methodology & Sources
Full disclosure, for some of my articles, I use AI to help with research (a post on AI is also in the works). For smartwatches, I asked Jasper.ai (my preferred source for AI) ‘what are the best smartwatches for kids under 13’. My other 3 sources are old school accredited sources namely Forbes, Wirecutter and Parenting.
My $0.02
The Best Ones are fairly consistent list to list. Its really a matter of how much tech / freedom you want to make available to your tween.
While so NOT a main point of this article, I was not particularly impressed with my AI research assistant on this article. The results sounded good at first but then when I dug in, less good. Again, suggesting cool AR games for kids is NOT helpful when writing a newsletter that cites distraction as a potential risk when considering purchase!
What Parents can do
Decide what your goal is before researching. Look for a watch whose features support. (Ex. I love Apple products but we quickly excluded the Apple Watch because of cost and not wanting texting)
Go with the bare the minimum to support your goal. IMO, more is not more when it comes to first steps with kids and tech. Its easy to be tempted by cool features. One phone that did NOT make list was touting AR games as benefit. Remember this product is for your kid not for you!
Set ground rules and be clear about them. If this watch is privilege make sure your kid knows that. If this watch is necessary for safety make sure they know THAT.
Don’t let tech be a crutch for your own anxiety. Just because you CAN track their every move doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Where to buy
I looked all the watches up on Amazon (except the Gizmo which you have to buy from Verizon) and linked them above. I’m experimenting with Amazon Affiliate marketing so if you are in the market, please consider buying through one of the links above!
That’s it from me, next week stay tuned for my interview with a newly minted 13 year old and his dad. We explore what turning 13 is like in the age of social media, what apps are popular right now and what’s cool on the internet.
Love,
Sarah