Smart Watches for kids have been on the rise almost as quickly as gun violence in schools. More than 26,000 children and teens have been killed in gun violence since 1999, according to mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
57-percent of teens fear a shooting at their school according to a report in the Trace from earlier this year. For parents of younger children it can be even more harrowing because kids don’t really know what kind of danger they can be in.
Many parents are arming their young children with smart watches. Smart Watches are designed to help parents communicate with their children, and more importantly allow their children to communicate with them. Some kids smart watches even feature GPS location services to help find your child in an emergency, or simply check to make sure they are where they are suppose to be at during any given time.
There are a lot of Kids Smart Watches to choose from so we have gone through and listed some of our favorites and what makes them stand out.
Best Smart Watches for Kids
FiLip
Age: 5-10
FiLIP is a smartwatch offering all the features of the Apple Watch with the ruggedness of a children’s toy. It can make and receive voice calls from up to 5 pre-set contacts and it can send one-way text messages. It also packs in GPS, GSM and Wi-Fi – which allows parents to track their children indoors and outdoors.
FiLIP offers voice calling through the app, allowing your child to call you whenever they desire. You can also call your child through your smartphone. You can set up to five phone numbers on the FiLIP.
The FiLIP kids smart watch has a red SOS button on its side, which when pressed calls the primary account holder. If there’s no answer, the FiLIP calls each of the five contacts in sequence. Pressing the red button also immediately activates tracking features, letting the parent know exactly where their child is. You can also set ‘safe zones’ through GPS – if your child strays beyond a safe zone, you will be alerted.
This child smart watch is compatible with iPhone and Android devices.
Caref GPS Tracking Watch
Age: 5-10
The Caref GPS Tracking Watch is a waterproof and shockproof smartwatch for kids with voice and text functionality. The Caref GPS smartwatch can hooked up with an iPhone or Android smartphone. You can set up priority contacts so that your child can call you directly from their watch. Your child will be able to send and receive calls and there’s a physical SOS button on the side that sends a text message to the priority contact. In addition, you can set up GPS safe zones and you will receive a text message alert if your child strays beyond a set boundary. The Caref watch records location history every 10 minutes so you can see exactly where they have been. BUY NOW AT AMAZON
VTech Kidizoom Plus
Age: 5-9
The VTech Kidizoom Plus is a smartwatch for younger children. The Kidizoom is a fun device that will keep younger children occupied and also keep them safe. This smartwatch does not connect to a phone so it’s a standalone device and does not feature text or calling capabilities. VTech recommends this smartwatch for children aged 5-12 years, however we can’t really see any child over the age of 9 sporting one of these.
The Kidizoom Plus can take photos and videos and there are lots of digital and analogue watch faces to choose from. Like the best toys, this one offers a neat learning experience with a feature called ‘Fun Time Master’ which helps children learn to tell the time. Your child can also record their own voice and use alarm clock, timer and stop watch functions. BUY NOW AT AMAZON
AmbyGear Smartwatch
Age: 5-9
If you are looking for a smartwatch that’s a little more fun than the FiLIP and Caref options listed above but with the same GPS tracking features, look at the AmbyGear Smartwatch. This watch has a rugged design with a soft silicone shell covering the whole watch case.
Features including messaging, a smart calendar, safe zones, and parental controls including a unique system where you can enable new apps as your child gets older. The AmbyGear Smartwatch for kids also features accurate location tracking through GPS and cellular connectivity as well as smart activity and fitness tracking. Like all GPS watches for kids, you can set up geo-fences and get alerts whenever your child enters a geo-fence or leaves it. Because it uses a data plan there will be a monthly service fee. In the US, that fee is usually $9 per month for a year, or $16.90 for a 2-year contract plan.
dokiWatch
Age: 6-12
The dokiWatch includes voice calling, location tracking, SOS alerts, parental control, fitness tracking, electronic pet functionality (remember Tamagotchi’s?) and lots of customization options for kids to get stuck in to. First and foremost, this smartwatch has been designed to keep your child safer and for this reason, the key selling points are GPS tracking and SOS alerts, in a similar vein to the FiLIP and Caref smartwatches listed above. The dokiWatch is nicer looking than these watches though and the screen and operating system seem to be a bit slicker. It uses a combination of GPS, GSM and Wi-Fi technology to ensure that you can track your kiddos indoors and outdoors. The doki app also lets you set safe zones. Parents will get an alert every time their child enters or leaves a set area.
Orbo Kids Smartwatch
Age: 5-8
The Orbo Kids Smartwatch introduces your child to the basics of telling time. Through a touchscreen interface, the Orbo displays both digital and analog clock faces with alarm and stopwatch functions. There are a variety of interactive activities and built-in games. This smartwatch also features a camera, which rotates and lets kid’s take photographs and edit them with neat effects.
HereO
Age: 5-12
The hereO markets itself as the “world’s smallest real-time cellular-connected GPS tracking device.” It features GSM, GPS and WiFi connectivity. It’s also splash proof and dustproof, with a durable plastic casing and one of the softest silicone bands on the market. The HereO lets you track the whereabouts of your child through GPS on your smartphone, and you can set Safe-Zones so that you are alerted when your child leaves the area.
Verizon Gizmo Gadget
Age: 5-12
The Verizon Gizmo Gadget is, in our opinion, one of the best-looking kid’s smartwatches on the market today. It features a sleek black screen, soft silicone band and it also gets LED status indicators which clearly display battery status, call status and signal strength. You can send/receive text and voice messages, as well as place calls. The Verion Gizmo Gadget offers real-time location tracking and two-way calling, with the ability for you to add up to 8 authorized telephone numbers so that your child can call you if they need help. All of this is managed through the free easy-to-use GizmoHub App. It has GPS functionality with smart boundaries and notifications. It offers a 9-day battery life. Another option is the Gizmo Pal 2.
Kurio Watch
Age: 5-10
The Kurio Watch is more of an entertainment-based wearable. It has a customisable interface and a video recorder and a camera, in addition to 20 preinstalled mini-games and apps for kids. The Kurio also comes preloaded with an alarm, calendar and calculator and it is an activity tracker. So like all the best smartwatches designed for kids, with the Kurio, parents can keep tabs on their child’s physical activity and step up their exercise regime if needed.
The watch also has an I.C.E (In Case of Emergency) application which allows parents to enter their child’s medical information, such as their blood type, in case of emergencies. The thought process behind such a feature is that should a child be injured not in the company of their parent, then a medical crew can treat the child immediately without having to wait for the parent. This feature has the potential to save lives, so it’s nice to see it preinstalled on the Kurio Watch. In addition to this, the Kurio Watch can connect with other devices through Bluetooth, so family members can send messages to each other.
