Kids' Smartwatches: Calls, Tracking and School Rules

A kids' smartwatch promises the best of both worlds: your child can call you from the playground, you can see where they are on the walk home, and nobody has handed them a full smartphone. But not every kids' watch does the same job. This guide covers what they can do, what they cost, how to keep them safe, and what schools allow.

What a Kids' Smartwatch Can Actually Do

A kids' smartwatch is a small phone on a wrist, with the risky parts removed. Most models let your child call and text contacts you approve in a parent app. Many add live GPS tracking, so you can check that they arrived at school or practice, plus alerts when they enter or leave a place you set. Garmin's guide to kids' smartwatches describes the Bounce 2's two-way calling, voice messages, live location tracking, and alerts for parent-defined areas. Some add an SOS button, a camera, or activity features such as step counting and sleep tracking. Apple Watch For Your Kids lets a child without their own iPhone call, text, and share their location, while a parent manages it from their own iPhone. Almost no kids' watch offers the open internet or social media.

The Main Types Compared

If the goal is simply "call me when practice ends," a kids' LTE watch is enough. If your family already uses iPhones and you want the tightest controls, Apple's family setup is strongest.

Calls and Messaging: Keeping It to Approved Contacts

The most important setting is the contact list. On an Apple Watch set up for a child, you choose approved contacts in the Watch app on your iPhone, and your child can only reach those people. Apple's setup guide covers creating a child account and joining Family Sharing. The Gizmo Watch 3, Gabb Watch 3, and T-Mobile SyncUP Kids Watch work the same way, says Consumer Reports.

Check this before you buy: not every watch marketed to kids can make calls. Consumer Reports notes that the Little Tikes Tobi 2, Fitbit Ace 3, and the original Garmin Bounce cannot make or receive calls. If calling is the reason you are buying, confirm it first.

GPS Tracking: Peace of Mind or Too Much Watching?

Live location is the feature parents ask about most, and it deserves a family conversation. Used well, it answers one question: did my child get where they were going? Garmin's Bounce 2 alerts you when a child enters or leaves an area you define, and can call family contacts with a live location link. Apple's version shows your child in the Find My app.

But constant checking can backfire: children who know they are watched every minute may stop telling you where they are going. Agree the rules together: you check location at agreed moments, such as the walk home, and your child checks in when plans change. For the bigger debate about tracking older children, read our guide to Life360 for teens.

Privacy and Safety: What to Check Before You Buy

A kids' watch collects sensitive data, above all your child's location, so the privacy policy matters as much as the hardware. In the United States, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires services aimed at children under 13 to get parental consent before collecting personal information, including geolocation. Before buying, find out what data is collected, whether location is shared with third parties, how long it is kept, and whether you can see and delete it. Buy from a known brand, set a strong parent-account password, keep the software updated, and review the contacts list every few months.

Distraction and School Rules

A watch that buzzes all day is a distraction. Apple built a Schooltime setting that restricts notifications and disables apps during school hours, and most kids' watches have a similar quiet mode. Switch it on for school hours.

School rules vary, so read your school's policy before you buy. In England, the Department for Education's guidance on mobile phones in schools became statutory on 29 June 2026, with schools expected to follow it from 1 September 2026. Many schools apply the same rules to smartwatches. Ofcom's Children's Media Literacy Report 2025 found that 56% of children aged 8 to 17 who go online on phones say smartphones are banned all the time at school. The same report found that 30% of children aged 6 to 7 already have their own mobile phone, which is why parents want a middle step. Ask the school: can the watch stay on the wrist in school mode, or must it stay in the bag?

What Does It Cost?

The watch is only part of the price. A kids' LTE watch usually costs $100 to $200, plus a monthly plan. Consumer Reports notes the Gizmo Watch 3 costs $10 a month plus taxes and a $35 activation fee, on top of the watch itself. Garmin manages the Bounce's LTE subscription itself, so no provider change is needed, but it is still a monthly cost. An Apple Watch for a child needs a carrier cellular plan, making it the most expensive route.

Fitness trackers are cheaper because they have no cellular connection: no calls, no live GPS, and no monthly bill. Before you buy, add up the full first year: the watch, the monthly plan times twelve, and any activation fee. If a watch still feels like too much tech, weigh a basic phone instead. See our guide to dumbphones for kids.

How to Choose and Set One Up

Start with your child's age and why you are buying. Most makers design these watches for children aged 6 and up, and Garmin lists the Bounce 2 as suitable for ages 6 and older. Maturity matters more than the birthday: can your child keep track of a device, charge it, and follow usage rules? Match features to your need: calls and GPS for a child who walks to school alone, or activity tracking for a younger child.

Create the parent account and your child's profile before handing over the watch. Add only the contacts your child needs, starting with parents and grandparents. Switch on Schooltime and set the school hours. Set up safe places for location alerts, such as home and school. Test a call and a message together, and show your child the SOS button. Finally, agree the rules out loud together.

FAQs

What age should a child get a smartwatch?

Most kids' smartwatches are designed for ages 6 and up, and Garmin lists the Bounce 2 as suitable for ages 6 and older. Age is only a starting point: a child who walks to school alone has a real use for one; a younger child who is always with an adult usually does not.

Can strangers call my child's smartwatch?

Not if it is set up properly. Apple Watch For Your Kids, the Gizmo Watch 3, and the Gabb Watch 3 only allow calls and messages with contacts the parent approves. Check the approved list after setup and every few months. Never buy a watch without that control.

Do kids' smartwatches need a monthly plan?

LTE models do, because they connect to the mobile network on their own. The Gizmo Watch 3 costs about $10 a month plus an activation fee. Fitness trackers need no plan, but they cannot call or share live location away from your phone.

Are smartwatches allowed in school?

It depends on the school. Many treat smartwatches like phones and ban them during lessons, and in England the government's guidance on mobile phones in schools became statutory in June 2026. Check your school's policy before buying.

Is GPS tracking safe for my child's privacy?

The tracking itself is safe when the company behind it is trustworthy, but details vary. Choose a known brand, read the children's privacy policy, and check what location data is collected, who it is shared with, and how to delete it. Under COPPA, services aimed at children under 13 must get parental consent before collecting location data. Tell your child you can see their location and agree when you will check it.