Smartwatches for Children — Safety & Setup Guide
How to choose and configure a child smartwatch — Apple Watch Family Setup, Garmin Bounce, Xplora and kid-specific GPS watches.
A smartwatch is a popular alternative to a first phone — it offers calling, messaging and location to approved contacts only, without giving a child a full internet-connected device. Apple Watch Family Setup lets a child wear an Apple Watch managed by a parent's iPhone without owning a phone themselves. Garmin Bounce and Xplora are designed specifically for children, with no app store and tightly controlled contact lists.
Main risks
- • Persistent location tracking — even of the child by the parent — can raise consent and autonomy questions as the child gets older
- • Some kid-specific watches have had security flaws disclosed; choose brands with a current security track record
- • Mobile data plans for cellular watches add ongoing cost
- • School policies often prohibit smartwatches; check before purchase
Initial setup steps
Pair the watch to a parent's phone
For Apple Watch, use Family Setup in the Watch app on an iPhone (the child does not need their own iPhone). For Garmin Bounce, install Garmin Jr. For Xplora, install the Xplora app. Follow the pairing flow.
Build the approved contacts list
Add only contacts you trust — typically parents, grandparents, and one or two close friends or carers. Each contact can usually be marked as 'School Time approved' so they can still be reached during lessons in an emergency.
Enable school time and bedtime
Set up a school time schedule that covers school hours (e.g. 08:30-15:30 on weekdays). Set a bedtime schedule that limits the watch overnight.
Talk through the watch's role with your child
Explain why they have a watch instead of a phone, who can reach them, what to do if they get a message from someone unexpected, and that you can see their location. Treat location sharing as an agreed family arrangement, not a surveillance tool.
Parental control settings
Approved contacts list
Location: Apple: iPhone Watch app > Family Setup > Contacts | Garmin Jr app | Xplora app
Recommended: Whitelist of family-approved contacts only; unknown numbers blocked
Child smartwatches are designed so the child can only call or message contacts a parent has approved. This is the central safeguarding feature and should never be disabled.
School time / focus mode
Location: Apple Watch app > Schooltime | Xplora 'Class Mode' | Garmin Jr 'Focus'
Recommended: Enabled during school hours
School time disables most features during lessons, showing only the time and emergency calling. This keeps the watch compliant with most UK school phone policies.
Location sharing
Location: Apple: Find My | Garmin Jr | Xplora app
Recommended: Enabled — visible only to parents/guardians paired with the watch
Live location is one of the main reasons families choose a child smartwatch. Confirm the location is only visible to the paired parent account and not shared with third parties.
Photo and microphone permissions
Location: Watch settings within the parent app
Recommended: Camera disabled or restricted; microphone only for approved-contact calls
Some children's watches include cameras and microphones. Review what is enabled and disable anything not actively needed.
Age recommendations
Excellent first 'connected device' — calls to approved contacts only, location for parents, no social media or web access. Often the best choice for primary-age children who walk to school or attend after-school clubs alone.
Still appropriate for children who do not yet have a phone. Many secondary schools prohibit smartwatches — check school policy first.
Usually replaced by a phone at this age. Some teens continue to wear an Apple Watch paired to their own phone for fitness and notifications.