Garmin Bounce Parental Controls & Safety Guide
How to set up the Garmin Jr. app, approved-contact LTE messaging and location tracking on the Garmin Bounce kids smartwatch.
The Garmin Bounce is a kids' GPS smartwatch with a built-in LTE radio and a separate data plan. Children can send and receive messages — pre-set replies and short typed messages — but only with contacts that a parent has approved through the Garmin Jr. parent app. The Bounce has no open internet access, no app store and no social media. Parents see the child's location on demand from inside Garmin Jr. and can set school-mode windows that lock the watch into quiet behaviour during the school day.
Main risks
- • Location data being relied on instead of agreed check-in habits
- • Approved-contact lists growing too wide and including adults the child does not know well
- • Messages distracting children during school if school mode is not set
- • Subscription lapsing and the LTE features quietly stopping without anyone noticing
Initial setup steps
Install Garmin Jr. on the parent's phone first
Before unboxing the Bounce, download Garmin Jr. on the parent's phone and create the parent account. The watch pairs to that account, not to the child.
Activate the LTE subscription
Follow Garmin's in-app prompts to start the LTE data subscription. Without it, messaging and remote location features do not work.
Add a small approved-contacts list
In Garmin Jr. > Contacts, add only adults you fully trust and a small handful of friends whose parents you know. Each contact needs a Garmin Jr. account on their phone to message your child.
Set school mode and agree the check-in plan
Turn on school mode for the agreed school hours. Then talk to your child about when you will use the locate feature — for example only if they are late home — and what to do in an emergency, including 999 and 101.
Parental control settings
Garmin Jr. Parent Approval
Location: Garmin Jr. app > Settings > Contacts
Recommended: Every contact added manually by a parent
Children cannot add or message anyone who is not on the approved list. Treat it like a contacts allow-list.
School Mode
Location: Garmin Jr. app > Settings > School Mode
Recommended: On for school hours; allow only emergency parental contact
Hides games, mutes most notifications and limits messaging during school hours. Many UK schools require wearables to be in a similar 'silent' mode.
Location Requests
Location: Garmin Jr. app > Map / Find
Recommended: Used as a check-in tool, not for constant tracking
Locating a child should support conversations like 'are you home yet' rather than replace them. Always-on tracking can damage trust and is not always accurate.
Subscription Status
Location: Garmin Jr. app > Settings > Subscription
Recommended: Reviewed each renewal date
LTE messaging and location need an active data subscription. If it lapses, the watch keeps telling the time but most safety features stop.
Age recommendations
Suitable for older children in this band only, with a very small approved-contacts list and school mode on during the school day.
Core target age for the Bounce. Keep contacts tight and treat location as a check-in tool, not a tracking system.
Many children will start asking for a smartphone instead. Continue using Bounce only as long as it meets the family's needs without restricting normal social development.