The Apple Watch is a perfect companion for anyone with an iPhone. It works like a smartphone tied to your wrist and has benefits of both a fitness tracker and a smartwatch, making life only easier. But, have you ever wondered whether these benefits are limited to adults or is it an equally good idea to get an Apple Watch for kids? We are about to find out.
The answer to the question of giving an Apple Watch to underage kids can be a bit of a head-scratcher at first. On one hand, the Apple Watch can be a great value addition with its tracking and fitness features in your kid’s life. But on the other hand, you do not want it to become another fancy toy or a tool that exposes your kid to online vulnerabilities.
In the end, It all comes down to the cost-benefit ratio. However, just looking at some of the recent features added to the Apple Watch, it appears that benefits greatly outweigh the costs. Let’s dig deeper.
To give you a clear idea on how Apple Watch for your kids could be a good idea, we are breaking down all the benefits of Apple Watch for kids in this blog. Here we go.
Benefits of Apple Watch for Kids
Apple claims the Apple Watch can bring a little independence with motivation for your kids while providing great peace of mind to you. The Apple Watch with Cellular can be a perfect blend of tech companionship in the form of connectivity and fitness tracking. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest benefits of Apple Watch for kids –
Parental Approval
You can now pair your iPhone with each of your kid’s Apple Watch with Cellular + GPS to have parental control over the device. You can manage each Apple Watch from your iPhone through the Apple Watch App. Meanwhile your kids get to have their own phone number and Apple ID without having to own an iPhone.
Easy Way to Connect
Apple Watch with Cellular can work as a phone on wrist for the kids. They can use the watch to make and receive calls or text messages. Parents have the option to approve contacts that can connect with the kids on their watch. It also supports voice assistants so kids can place calls or send messages using their voice commands.
Turn off Notifications Whenever Needed
The Apple Watch comes with a Do Not Disturb feature. This can restrict notifications and apps for a certain period of time. Parents can enable this feature to make sure kids are not disturbed by their Apple Watch during school time or study time. A distinctive yellow circle is displayed on the watch face when the Do Not Disturb feature is enabled to signify teachers or parents that the feature is currently enabled on the watch.
Find My People App to Track
If you have young kids, tracking their location when you are away for work or due to any other circumstances could be a blessing. The Find My People app is a great way of tracking whereabouts. You can receive alerts as soon as they leave or arrive at any location such as home or school.
Activity App
The Activity App in the Apple Watch comes with tons of tracking features that keeps a track of your activities. This can be a big value addition to your kid’s life as it can keep a tab on your kid’s daily physical activity. The app can track specific activities such as Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Run, Outdoor Cycle, Dance, Jump Rope, Soccer, and more.
The Activity App uses the philosophy of sit less, move more. In order to track your progress, it has three rings of different colours. These rings show active calories burned, minutes of brisk activity and more personalised progress. Kids can share the progress with friends and other family members.
Emergency SOS
The Apple Watch with Cellular connection or WiFi Calling with an internet connection can also work as an Emergency SOS. It can share your location to the pre-approved emergency response partners.
App Store
With Apple Watch, kids can access thousands of apps on the App Store. This gives an opportunity to kids to use educational apps starting from dictionaries to encyclopaedias right off their wrist. Parents should know that apps are only available after approval via the Ask to Buy feature.
Apple Cash
Giving pocket money to kids was never this convenient, especially if you don’t feel comfortable handing over cash to your 10 year old. Apple Cash changes things completely, for better. You can now send Apple Cash to anyone under 18 securely as allowance or for mere everyday expenses. It also allows you to set up recurring payment systems to make sure your kid receive a specific amount on schedule.
How To Setup Apple Watch for Kids?
Requirements –
- iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or higher
- Apple Watch Series 4 or later with cellular or an Apple Watch SE with cellular and watchOS 7 or higher.
Pair Your iPhone with Your Kid’s Apple Watch?
- Power on the Apple Watch you want to pair and place it close to your iPhone.
- Wait until you see the notification for “Use your iPhone to set up this Apple Watch” on your iPhone.
- Once the above notification appears, tap on Continue.
- In case the message doesn’t appear, open the Watch App on your iPhone, tap on All Watches at the top.
- Next, tap the Add Watch link and select Set Up for a Family Member.
- On the next screen, tap Continue.
- Tap on Learn More and then Continue on the Data & Privacy screen.
- Tap on Continue again and finish the setup.
Once the setup is complete, you can explore the different features on your kid’s Apple Watch or through the Watch App on the iPhone.
The Apple Watch can really work as an iPhone for your kids without actually giving them an iPhone. It is a great way of staying connected with your kids and also provides them with a gadget that can add value to their everyday life.
Feature Image by Apple.com
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