5 reasons why you should get your kid a smartwatch

In this age of technology, it can be difficult for parents to establish the right timeline to induce different technologies into your child’s life. At what age is it best to give your child a mobile phone? Many parents are still uncomfortable with young children owning a mobile phone despite the increasingly lower age of mobile device users. Thankfully for parents who still want to stay connected to their kids without having to worry about the cons of smartphone ownership, smartwatches could be the solution to their dilemma. Here are a few reasons why.

1. Peace of Mind

Smartwatches provide a great way for a parent to keep an eye on their children in an unobstructive manner. For example, the WatchPhone can be used to contact your child via phone call or text. It also acts as a GPS tracker, allowing parents to track their children’s location easily with their smartphones. The first of its kind, the WatchPhone is compatible with 3G data, allowing users to send voice memos as well. You’ll never have to worry about not being able to reach your child again

Additionally, many smartwatches come with safety features which allow the child to send a distress signal to their parents instantly. The WatchPhone, for instance, lets the child send a SOS to their parents’ smartphone with a tap. This safeguard brings a sense of reassurance to both child and parent.

Keep in touch with your kids anytime, anywhere.

2. Fostering a sense of independence

A smartwatch can also help create a safe space for your child to develop a sense of independence. The inbuilt tracking and safety features give parents the confidence to let their children go out alone. Parents can preset safety zones for kids by using the geofencing function on the WatchPhone, allowing them to roam within a designated safe area. When a child exceeds the limit, the nominated smartphone will be alerted.

Many other smartwatches also let children keep track of their own schedules and to-do list, fostering a sense of responsibility in them at a young age. This will also enhance their sense of independence and help develop productive habits as well.

3. Activity tracking

Most mobile devices, such as tablets and game consoles, tend to result in more screen and sedentary time. This may ultimately bring about many health issues like child obesity.
Smartwatches can help encourage children to go out and play as most include activity tracking features such as a pedometer. The WatchPhone not only comes with an inbuilt pedometer but also has a calorie tracker. This allows parents to track their children’s activity level and make adjustments to their daily routine accordingly.

The WatchPhone keeps your child active and tracks their level of physical activity in a fun manner!

4. Designed specially for kids

The market for smartwatches designed specially for kids has been growing steadily. While these smartwatches tend to be more primitive in terms of functionality, they are usually also sturdier and affordable than their adult counterparts. The functions included in these smartwatches are also engineered to be useful in a kid’s lifestyle and as such is a lot more practical.

5. Parental Controls

Parents can rest assured that their kids are not communicating with unsavoury characters or information with the wide variety of parental controls available. The WatchPhone keeps your child safe by blocking unknown numbers and only allowing authorized devices to interact with it. The Classroom mode makes the WatchPhone school-friendly as well, minimising distractions during lessons. Other common parental controls in smartwatches include features like restricted game time, Internet restrictions, purchasing permissions and more.

(Published on Oaxis, 21 March 2017)