All the best smartwatches for kids

A smartwatch is a great piece of introductory technology for kids.

By Leah Stodart, Joseph Green, Matt Ford

Jan. 31, 2023

Kurio V 2.0

Best For Apps

Stay connected with this smartwatch that comes pre-loaded with 20 apps.

Pros & Cons

Fitbit Ace 3

Best For Kids

You won't have to worry about your child getting this fitness tracker wet — it's waterproof up to 50 meters.

Pros & Cons

Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3

Best For Healthy Habits

This watch has a Disney-themed reward system to get kids excited about activities.

Pros & Cons

VTech KidiZoom DX2

Best For Games

The kid-proof watch that's made for fun and learning within their daily routines.

Pros & Cons

Inspiratek Kids Fitness Tracker

Best For Tight Budgets

A simple design with an impressive selection of health and fitness metrics.

Pros & Cons

Amazfit Band 5

Best For Teenagers

A basic but well-equipped watch for teens who want to get smart wrist-wear.

Pros & Cons

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Many parents are cautious about giving smartphones to their kids. And rightly so. It opens up a whole world of safety concerns: cyber bullying, excessive screen time, and those dark corners of the internet that just aren’t child-friendly. But that doesn’t mean you have to cut your kids off from smart tech entirely. Enter: smartwatches for kids.

There are various benefits to equipping your little one with a smartwatch. Keeping your kids active and being able to monitor their whereabouts, for instance. For kids, the freedom that comes with having their very own connected device — and potentially more leniency when it comes to doing things unsupervised — is priceless.

But, much like smartwatches for adults, different watches are designed to do different things, with various features to keep your kids exercised, engaged, and entertained. Here’s a helpful guide for parents.

Do kids really need a smartwatch?

That’s a question that can only be answered by each individual parent. But it’s worth knowing some of the bonuses of giving your kids a smartwatch. Some kids’ smartwatches (though not all) have a GPS, so you can keep tabs on where they are. There might be a messaging function too, so you can contact your kids at any time.

Many kids’ smartwatches are focused of physical activity — they actually encourage kids to get up and move. Kids can check their step count for the day or get a reminder to stand up for a few minutes, but the most fun part is easily the on-screen celebration when a daily activity or sleep goal is met.

Settings can be tweaked in the parent app, but having a kid set their own alarms or follow their own activity rules could be a great way to assume some responsibility. Some watches allow you to set reminders for things such as homework, brushing their teeth, or bedtime.

Activities that are typically mundane are suddenly a lot more fun when animated celebrations, badges, or sibling leaderboard competitions are involved (and when a parent isn't doing the nagging). When healthy habits are established early, they can carry over into adulthood, when deep-rooted bad habits are typically harder to kick.

Can kids access social media on a smartwatch?

It will come as a relief to some parents that kids’ smartwatches aren’t just great for what they can do, but what they can’t do as well. Unlike smartwatches for adults, kids' smartwatches don't promote social media sharing and usually don't have the option to get on the internet at all. That means these little devices are better at encouraging movement, responsibility, and routine than obsessively checking notifications.

Do kids’ smartwatches have entertainment features?

A smartwatch might be replacing the need for a whole phone or tablet, but that doesn't mean entertainment is completely off the table. Some watches geared towards younger children have games including number challenges and augmented reality mysteries.

At what age should kids have their own smartwatch?

There’s no set rule or guidelines but smartwatches are generally made for ages of 6 and above. Different watches are geared towards different ages, and will included age-specific features. The wrist band will be a big clue. If it’s brightly coloured and covered in Spider-Man or Frozen characters, it’s probably for younger kids.

What is the best smartwatch for kids?

We've lined up a selection of excellent smartwatches for kids from top brands like Fitbit and Garmin. There's something for everyone and every budget in this list.

There are the best smartwatches for kids in 2023.

Kurio V 2.0

Best For Apps

The good

Pre-loaded apps Camera for photos and video Messaging Interchangeable watch straps

The Bad

Not compatible with iPhones Battery could be improved

The Bottomline

A fun watch packed with apps and games, plus a messaging function for parents' peace of mind.

Specs

Activity Tracking: Yes
Age: 6
Battery Life: 3 days
Sleep Tracking: No
Water Resistance: No

The Kurio V 2.0 smartwatch is packed with apps and games for instant fun, and even lets users take selfies and videos, play single and two-player games, message friends, listen to music, and more. You can expand the memory to 32GB to store a massive range of apps and media to keep your kids occupied. This smartwatch also comes with an activity tracker, alarm/stopwatch, calculator, and calendar. Parents can even add vital information like blood type and allergies for emergencies. Kids get to choose a watch face and wallpaper, and swapping bands is easy. The included bonus band changes colour on your kid's wrist as their temperature rises, which is pretty cool.

Fitbit Ace 3

Best For Kids

The good

Can be synced to a parent's smartphone Set reminders, challenges, and activity goals for your child Long battery life kid-friendly onscreen animations Water lock feature

The Bad

No GPS tracking

The Bottomline

If getting your kid off the couch is the main goal, the Fitbit Ace 3 offers motivating challenges and digital rewards for staying active.

Specs

Activity Tracking: Yes
Age: 6
Battery Life: 8 days
Built in GPS/cellular: Neither
Built-in GPS/cellular: Neither
Exercise Modes: None
GPS: No
Phone Notifications: Yes
Sleep Tracking: Yes
Tracks: Steps, active exercise minutes, and sleep. Other activities like biking and swimming can be added through the companion app
Water Resistance: Waterproof up to 50 meters
Water resistance rating: WR50

If your kiddo is heading to swim lessons, pool parties, or the beach, the Fitbit Ace 3 can keep up with all of their splashing shenanigans. It's waterproof up to 50 meters like most other adult fitness trackers, so you won't need to worry about them taking it off before taking a dip in the water.

The Fitbit Ace 3 is our top pick for kid-friendly fitness trackers — and for good reason. With an eight day battery life, activity tracking, and motivational challenges and digital rewards, the Ace 3 is sure to keep your kid active (instead of glued to the iPad all day).

Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3

Best For Healthy Habits

The good

Easy-to-use app Reward system Disney-themed bands Fitness tracking Alerts and alarms

The Bad

Non-rechargeable battery

The Bottomline

Garmin's take on kid tech is simple enough for little ones and uses interactive adventures to keep them motivated.

Specs

Activity Tracking: Yes
Age: 6
Battery Life: Non-rechargeable, up to one year
GPS: No
Sleep Tracking: Yes
Water Resistance: Waterproof up to 50 meters

Garmin has partnered with Disney to add some motivational magic to its reward system: Frozen, Star Wars, Iron Man, and Moana are available not only as band decor, but as the theme for an interactive Disney adventure. Don't worry if Disney isn't their thing. There are generic but colourful alternatives.

Parents can assign tasks for each child like homework or household chores, and the Vivofit Jr 3 sends reminders. It's always more fun to be nagged by a device than by a parent, though kids will be too psyched by the rewards to need reminding. Once a task or activity goal is completed, kids unlock a prize such as games, stories, and icons.

Parents can even add themselves to the kid account to rev up the competition on the step-count leader board.

VTech KidiZoom DX2

Best For Games

The good

Front and back camera Onboard storage Great kid-friendly content 55 watch faces Teaches how to tell time

The Bad

No daily task settings

The Bottomline

Younger kids will love playing the games and picking from its great selection of face designs.

Specs

Activity Tracking: Yes
Age: 4
Battery Life: 2 weeks
Sleep Tracking: No
Water Resistance: Splash-proof

The fact that Fitbit and Garmin have carved out a space in the kid wearable market was expected, but what may surprise you is how VTech managed to give both big names a run for their money by honing in on the stuff kids really want: games and videos. If the smartwatch for your child is meant to be a true source of entertainment — as in something that'll keep them busy enough to stop asking for an iPad — the VTech Kidizoom DX2 will be your kid's new favourite toy. He or she can use the touchscreen to swipe through over 50 analog and digital watch faces and silly selfie filters, take videos, or play one of the five games (including an augmented reality monster hunt that encourages problem solving and getting up and moving). The 256MB storage can hold 1,600 photos or 11 one-minute videos. Both the screen resolution and dual camera resolutions have been majorly improved since the original Kidizoom watch. The actual watch unit has also been de-clunkified compared to the last version and makes for more aerobic movement of little arms. Physical activity and daily responsibilities aren't the focus here, but the Kidizoom does have a motion-sensing pedometer.

Inspiratek Kids Fitness Tracker

Best For Tight Budgets

The good

Tracks heart rate 5 interactive displays Hydration reminders Alarm feature

The Bad

Band is too big for young kids So-so battery life

The Bottomline

It's not the most durable, but this budget tracker digs deeper into health metrics than you'd expect.

Specs

Activity Tracker: Yes
Age: 5
Battery Life: Up to seven day
GPS: No
Sleep Tracking: Yes
Water Resistance: Waterproof up to 1 meter

The Inspiratek is styled like a Fitbit but makes its own mark as a fun, activity-focused kids’ watch. It counts steps and monitors movement, while providing a selection of stats — heart rate, blood oxygen, and sleep to name a few. Just set it up by syncing with an app — it’s really simple.

This watch sets alarms and timers, which serve as reminders for household tasks and homework, which helps guide the little ones towards taking personal responsibility.

It's recommended for kids between five and sixteen, but some people have complained that the band is too big for the younger kiddies. It might be best for kids over five.

And if you’re one of those parents who worries your kids aren’t drinking enough water, fear not. The Inspiratek reminds them to hydrate.

Amazfit Band 5

Best For Teenagers

The good

Long battery life Lots of sport modes Array of stats Alexa built-in Customisable faces

The Bad

Not for younger kids

The Bottomline

A comprehensible smartwatch that serves as an introduction to the world of wearables.

Specs

Activity Tracker: Yes
Age: 3
Battery Life: 5 days
Sleep Tracking: Yes
Water Resistance: 50 metres

The Amazfit Band 5 isn’t exclusively for kids, but it’s the kind of stripped-back, affordable option that will suit teenagers.

It has great fitness and health capabilities, with tracking or steps, sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and breathing. There are also multiple sport modes for activity tracking.

There’s good news for teens who can’t live without Alexa (which is pretty much all of them) as the Amazfit Band 5 has built-in Amazon Alexa. The kids will also love the fun selection of customisable watch faces, not to mention its super-long battery life. It goes up to 25 days in low power mode. Even the most forgetful teens will have no excuse for running out of juice.

Topics: Tech, Gaming, Fitbit Ace 3, VTech KidiZoom DX2, Kurio V 2.0, Amazfit Band 5, Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3, Inspiratek Kids Fitness Tracker