Parental Controls
Which Kids' Smartwatches Are Really Phones
Kids' smartwatches go all the way from something that only calls you to a watch with messaging, apps and a browser, and the ads do almost nothing to help you figure out which one you're buying.
The word covers two totally different things
One kind lets your kid call and text a short list of people you've approved, and that's it. The other kind is basically a little phone, with apps and a browser and its own data plan, sitting in the same aisle in the same kind of box. The only way to know for sure is to look up the exact model.
Why a watch is harder to keep an eye on
A phone gets left on the counter. A watch stays on their wrist all day at school and all night, so whatever it can do, it can do at three in the morning in a bedroom, and there's nothing sitting out for anybody to notice.
The setting most parents miss
On the fancier models, check location sharing first, because it's often already on, and it's worth seeing exactly who it's sharing with. Check the approved contacts while you're in there too, because some watches will take a message from anybody who has the number.
The Sunday Script
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