Is having a kids smart watch worth it?

Disclaimer: This article is intended for US audiences

It’s been nearly two decades since the successful launch of the first Apple touchscreen smartphone in 2006. Depending on who you ask, this marked the beginning of the digital revolution, and smart devices have been getting smarter, smaller, and more sophisticated than ever. Like a tide that raises all boats, smart technologies have been racing to get to the next level, and we’ve seen extraordinary devices like tablets, virtual reality headsets, home devices, and watches. 

Researchers from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) cite in their research that “the Child-Raising Policy Institute, infants and children’s smartphone usage rate reached 53.1% by 2013. The average age of first use of smartphones is 2.27, which means that toddlers are already exposed to smartphones before he or she reaches the age of three.” This is a slightly alarming statistic to some parents, and it begs the question: “What should I (a parent) do to protect my child in the age of smartphones and smart devices?”

Smartwatches Versus Smartphones

While there are many methods to protect a child online, there is a debate on whether or not children need a phone. In the same study by the National Library of Medicine, parents reported that they did not feel their children should have a cell phone at the age of 3 or 4, but these same parents reported giving their kids a phone regardless. Parents shy away from phones for several reasons. There are many ways for clever children to circumvent manufacturer-standard parental controls. For these parents, a smart watch may be a good middle ground.

As we covered earlier, smart devices ,  including smart watches, have become complex. Many wearable smart devices now have cellular capabilities and feature various functions previously unheard of. So for weary parents who are hesitant to get their kids a phone, a kid’s smart watch may be worth considering as an alternative.

Smartphones have large screens, enticing kids to binge-watch videos online, infinitely scrolling social media outlets, or playing cell phone games. A kid’s smart watch solves these issues since the screen display can only show so much.

The Bark Watch

The Bark Watch is a new kids smart watch that integrates child protection features directly into the watch, making it an exceptionally popular choice for parents. Here are some features that make the Bark Watch a household favorite:

Content Monitoring: The first step in protecting kids on their smart devices is a robust text, video, and photo monitoring algorithm. Unfortunately, sometimes kids are sent (or send) content that they should not be consuming. With Bark’s kid’s smart watch, content monitoring is built into the device, so parents can rest assured that their kids aren’t consuming inappropriate content on their wearable devices.

Cellular Connectivity: Staying connected to your child brings peace of mind like nothing else can. Enabling LTE connectivity on the Bark Watch lets the device send and receive messages and enable other features like GPS location tracking.

Location Tracking: The Bark Watch comes standard with 24/7 GPS location tracking and lets parents check in wherever and whenever necessary. Geofencing Bark smart devices can also supplement peace of mind with a hands-off approach, and parents will be alerted when their kid’s smart watch leaves or enters a pre-set area, like home or school.

Contact Management: Let’s face it, kids have a developing brain and very often make decisions that aren’t always safe. The old phrase “don’t talk to strangers” seems to be falling onto deaf ears in today’s age. The Bark Watch solves this by letting parents manage every contact on the child’s device. Contact management helps to keep strangers out of your child’s life by approving every contact on the device and only allowing whitelisted contacts to call and text.

Emergency SOS: Many parents find it daunting to let their kids roam the public. Kids can get into dangerous situations, like forgetting to check for cars at a crosswalk or maybe witnessing an emergency. When an emergency happens, you want your kid to be able to call for help quickly and easily. All Bark devices have a readily accessible SOS button that will notify parents and emergency services of the child’s location.

Get The Bark Watch for Your Family Today

As technology continues to evolve and become more complex, finding a balance between keeping children safe and allowing them to explore the online (and offline) world is critical. The sooner kids can practice safe online behavior with guardrails, the better. While smartphones offer numerous functions, their vast capabilities can expose children to potential risks such as inappropriate content, excessive screen time, and unsupervised interactions. 

Like the Bark Watch, a kid’s smart watch offers a smart alternative with essential features that give parents peace of mind. A kids’ smartwatch is a worthwhile investment for those looking for a controlled and secure way to introduce their children to technology. Get the Bark Kids Smart Watch for your household today.

ADVT.

This article is brought to you by The Bark Watch.