More and more parents are looking for a smartwatch for children. There are several brands and models of GPS watches for sale. These watches offer parents peace of mind as they can easily track their children’s movements.
Look no further than our reviews of the best GPS watches for kids to buy in 2022! With our guide, you can choose the right watch for your child without spending hours researching. Read on for more information!
“In this article, we are talking about GPS watches for children. Others also call these Smartwatches for kids. It’s about the same product.”
Features to consider when buying a smartwatch for children:
1. Can the smartwatch be tracked via GPS?
When a parent thinks of the worst-case scenario, it is the fear that something bad has happened to their child. They have all experienced the panic of not knowing where their child was. This is a parent’s worst nightmare.
Certain apps allow you to set a geographic area for your child that alerts you when the watch goes outside this area or just in. This functionality is known as geofencing and is an extremely useful feature for any parent.
Using a GPS function on a smartwatch is the best way to locate your children. The lack of this feature in a watch is a dealbreaker and should be avoided at all costs. The app is crucial for keeping track of where your children are.
2. SOS alerts
SOS capabilities are perhaps one of the most important features of a smartwatch for children. If your child is in a dangerous situation, they can press or hold a button that sends an emergency signal to your phone (via the app) and 3 pre-programmed phone numbers are automatically dialed until the call is answered. The safety associated with SOS alerts is invaluable and absolutely necessary. When choosing a GPS watch for your child, be sure to pay attention to this valuable feature.
3. Making and receiving calls
This feature allows your child to call you and several other preprogrammed numbers and receive calls from those same numbers. You will have to decide if you want your child to have access to this option, or not.
4. Camera
Cameras on smartwatches for children are for entertainment purposes and have no safety benefit. Children can take pictures with the camera. It is also nice for parents to call image with children, so you can see what environment your child is in. Most children will enjoy playing with the camera, which may make it easier for them to remember to carry a watch with them at all times.
5. Waterproof
While safety comes first, you also need a watch that can withstand heavy use and potential damage, especially water damage. This is useful if your family spends a lot of time at the beach, at the water park, at the pool or in winter during winter sports on the slopes. But it’s also nice that the watch is waterproof in a rainstorm. If this feature is of value to you, look for a watch with a water-resistance rating of IP64 or better.
6. Games
Some smartwatches for children come with built-in games. Nowadays, children already have a lot of screen time, so it is questionable whether you should opt for a children’s watch with even more games. We think it is better to encourage “offline” play. Therefore, KUUS. watches no games, but rather children get the freedom to play outside!
7. Sending messages
As a parent, you want to know where your child is, and you want to be able to communicate with your child in case of an emergency, or if your child needs to come home from the playground. Messaging between you and your child is then very valuable. This option is given in 2 types: communication through Whatsapp or through the parent app provided.
The downside of Whatsapp is that it can again distract a lot and can cause more screen time. Consider group apps in which many messages are sent. It might be smart not to choose Whatsapp so that the child can only send messages to the parent app. This choice is up to you.
8. Child-friendly
Children love to play outside. But then sometimes things go wrong. A child falls off the swing or runs into something. So choose a solid watch, preferably with an additional glass screen protector for better protection.
Glass screen protectors are by no means available for all GPS children’s watches. For all KUUS. models there are.
9. What parent app does the watch use?
There are many different GPS watches for children on the market. There are also many different apps. It is important to consider which app the watch is using. For example, several watches are offered through bol.com that work with a Chinese-looking, poorly translated app. Fortunately, there are also parties that use their own app. All KUUS. watches work with the KUUS. Watch app in the Dutch language.
10. Is it affordable?
You will want to buy a device that is reasonably priced. If it has many functions, it may cost a little more. But at the same time, no one wants to pay hundreds of dollars for a smartwatch with basic functions. So compare prices and devices to choose one that most comforts your wallet and conscience. And remember that low-priced products are often of lower quality.
11. Cost of subscription
Many watches come with a subscription. Be sure to check subscription or SIM card charges before buying the watch. KUUS. smartwatches work without a subscription and the included SIM card has low costs. It consumes about 20-40 mb per month and the cost is about €1.50 depending on how often calls are made using the watch.
Conclusion
Here are the 11 most important features to look out for when buying a GPS watch for kids. Check out our best kids smartwatches directly below and find out if they meet your requirements!