Should you get a smartwatch for your kid?

Children today are born in a high-tech society and they’re avid tech consumers. Smart gadgets surround them everywhere and their entire existence revolves around computers and Internet. They are more tech-savvy than the adults in their life and they rely on technology in almost every aspect of their life, whether it’s for studying, socializing or entertaining.

If you have a kid, you know what we’re talking about. That Christmas list has changed a lot since your childhood, hasn’t it? Smartphones, smart toys, smartwatches and other fancy gadgets are all they ever beg for nowadays. While all these gizmos today have their indisputable benefits, there are some limits to be drawn and questions to be asked, before you get any smart devices for your child just so that you cater to their every whim.

Smartwatches are among the most popular and best-selling gadgets out there. And not just for grown-ups anymore. Every manufacturer has a line specially developed for children. Smartwatches for kids come with overly cute designs, attractive colors, games, a broad selection of educational apps and many other eye-catching features. But are they really safe and worth it?

Pros and Cons of getting a smartwatch for your child

Privacy has always been an issue when it comes to Internet-enabled devices and the digital world. And when children are involved, this issue only grows in proportions.  Reports have shown that some smartwatches for kids, developed by questionable brands, acted as spying devices, being able to collect data about children, their location and personal details and even worked as listening devices. Low-quality smartwatches and their apps can function faulty, have security issues and don’t use encryption, which makes them vulnerable and easy to crack by anyone with basic hacking skills. That can pose a real threat for your child. For instance, such a malfunction can make him appear in a different location than he really is. Parents who want to monitor their kids are deceived any being offered a false sense of security.

However, these are the downsides of smartwatches and they can only be a problem in the case of cheap, unreliable devices. They are ‘worst case scenarios’ that can be avoided 100% if you choose a high-quality product, from a reputable brand. There are also additional measures you can take to enhance your privacy and sense of security: keep your kid’s smartwatch updated, so that it can benefit from the latest improvements, bug fixes and so on. Use strong passwords for all the accounts and don’t give out more information and details than needed when you sign up for anything. Also, only download apps from known, trust-worthy sources.

Smartwatches can be really useful if used properly. They can work as helpful monitoring devices. Most of them have a GSP-tracker and they come with a ’safe zone’ feature that allows parents to preset a specific area and in case their children wander off and leave it, parents are immediately alerted.

Smartwatches can also be used as fitness trackers, motivating your kid to exercise more. Also, in addition to all the available games and entertainment, smartwatches also come with a ton of useful, educational apps and learning exercises.