An essential part of parenting is striking a balance between security and independence. While not everything in the consumer tech space is suitable for children, there have been some genuinely meaningful innovations that offer new ways for kids to keep in touch, learn and get active while remaining in contact. One of these is Apple's Apple Watch For Your Kids software. This new feature, which allows parents and children to stay connected without a paired iPhone, is responsible for a rising demand for Apple Watches as starter mobile devices for children. Of course, a smartwatch is still a considerable investment. It's essential to understand the different types and determine the best Apple Watch model for kids before deciding on a purchase.
What is Apple Watch For Your Kids?
Launched in 2020, Apple Watch For Your Kids (formerly known as Family Setup) is an iOS feature that allows the user to set up and connect multiple Apple Watches with a single iPhone. The watches can then be handed out to family members who don’t have their own phone, such as children, teenagers and older adults. This feature is ideal for parents, guardians or caregivers who need a reliable way to stay in contact without handing over a fully-functioning iPhone. Apple Watches are packed with features designed for kids, from smaller wristbands to educational apps and parental controls. These include pinpoint location services for each Watch, the ability to manage contacts, limit screentime and receive health and safety updates. In short, Apple Watch For Your Kids is a way for parents and guardians to grant a child their independence while staying within arms’ reach.
By using Apple Watch For Your Kids with a cellular Apple Watch model, the Watch will function as a standalone mobile device, able to make calls, send and receive messages and access the internet when needed. The location of each Watch can also be tracked through the connected iPhone, providing a new level of peace of mind. Apple’s Find My app also makes it easy to keep tabs on every Apple Watch even if they do get lost. For more details, see our guide to Apple Watch For Your Kids/Family Setup.
Cellular vs Non-Cellular Apple Watches
Some Apple Watch models are sold in two separate versions: GPS and GPS + Cellular. GPS-only (or Bluetooth) Apple Watches are around $50-$100 cheaper than their GPS + Cellular counterparts. However, they require a nearby paired iPhone to access the internet and send and receive calls and texts. As a result, GPS-only Apple Watches are not compatible with the Apple Watch For Your Kids feature.
Apple Watch For Your Kids requires a Cellular Apple Watch Model with an active cellular plan. Only a small number of network providers, including BetterRoaming, offer cellular Apple Watch data plans. The Watch and the connected iPhone do not need to have the same cellular network provider to work together. To find out if your watch is a cellular model, look at the knurled circular button at the side of the watch face. If the button has a red circle on it, the watch is a cellular model and can be used. Learn more in our full guide to setting up Apple Watch For Your Kids/Family Setup.
The Best Apple Watch for Kids
Below, we compare every currently available Apple Watch model in 2024 and discuss the pros and cons of each in relation to how suitable they are for children and teenagers. Prices are accurate at the time of writing. Note that only cellular Apple Watch models are listed, as these are the only ones that support Apple Watch For Your Kids.
Apple Watch Series 10 GPS + Cellular
Where it all began – now in its 10th iteration, the Apple Watch Series 10 builds on its forebears with a thinner case, larger screen and a raft of new features, controls and optional add-ons. Most notably, the hardware has been entirely retooled, resulting in a new Apple Watch model that actually looks different from previous generations. A range of aluminium, steel or titanium case options allows the buyer greater choice than the SE. The titanium cases in particular provide a toughness and lightness that may be appreciated by younger kids, though this is a slender benefit when weighed against the additional cost. The Series 10 brings all the same functionality and features of the SE, bolstered by a faster charging speed, more precise location tracking and detailed health analysis, including the ability to detect signs of sleep apnea. The wide choice of colours, straps and bands offers kids the opportunity to express themselves and find a configuration they’ll enjoy wearing. Whether these features are worth the $200 step-up in price from the SE is up to the buyer.
Price: Cellular models start at $499
Pros: Thinner, lighter, faster and more durable than the SE, with a longer battery life and more customisation options
Cons: High price point, many of the new features have no relevance for children
Apple Watch Series 9 GPS + Cellular
While it’s no longer possible to buy the Series 9 on the Apple website after the release of the Series 10 in September 2024, new models can still be found at independent and third-party retailers. This makes the Apple Watch Series 9 one of the best Apple Watch models for kids, as it packs most of the same features of the Series 10 into a reduced-price package. Functionally, the Series 9 is a step up from the SE, with a longer battery life, faster processor and a vast array of health and safety features including improved cycle tracking and the ability to monitor blood oxygen levels and produce ECG reports.
Apple marketed it as a fitness-focused Apple Watch, which may make it more suited to teens than being the best Apple Watch for younger kids.
Price: Cellular models start at $399, with the price varying depending on the retailer
Pros: More accurate and detailed health tracking capabilities than the SE, longer battery life, more storage, huge choice of watch bands, charges faster than the SE
Cons: Can no longer be purchased directly through Apple, a focus on health and fitness makes it more suitable for adults and teens
Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular (2nd Generation)
The lowest-price model in the Apple Watch family, the SE is still overqualified as an entry point into wearable tech. It’s one of the most feature-rich smartwatches on the market at its price point. Despite lacking some of the durability and customisation options of other Apple Watch models, the SE is more than capable for both adults and children.
The cellular SE supports Apple Watch For Your Kids and shares much of the same functionality as more expensive models, including essential safety features and kid-oriented details like Schooltime mode (which lets parents limit screen time and internet access during specific time periods), international emergency calling and SOS functions. A nice touch is that the fall detection service can also be turned on or off – this is especially useful, as any parent of younger children will know how routine falls are in early life. While durable, the SE has a relatively short battery life for a smartwatch and charges slower than other models.
The lower price of the SE is if anything an added feature, especially for school-age children – an SE is less of a target for thieves, less alienating for their classmates, and puts less pressure on the child in the likely event that it gets damaged, lost or stolen. Given this, a new or secondhand Apple Watch SE is the most practical option for many buyers, and for our money, the best Apple Watch for kids.
Price: Cellular models start at $299
Pros: The cheapest Apple Watch on the market, durable, more than enough features for most kids, choice of screen sizes and straps
Cons: Short battery life, less precise location services than other Apple Watches
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Ultra 2 is Apple’s no-expense-spared foray into the outdoor watches market. Upgraded hardware includes a titanium case, a larger bezel, a built-in siren and torch, and a choice of straps, including the swimming-oriented “Diveband’. Under the toughened glass, the Ultra boasts the fastest processor and longest battery life in the Apple Watch lineup. All Apple Ultra and Ultra 2 Watches are cellular enabled.
This comes at a price, naturally – a new Ultra 2 retails for at least $799. Whether this investment is worth it depends on your budget, or if you have a particularly outdoorsy child who routinely dives to depths of 100m and requires a built-in altimeter. One practical feature that may appeal to parents is the Ultra 2’s ear-splitting 86db siren. Ideally, this will never need to be used, but the peace of mind knowing it's there may be worth the extra cost to some parents.
Price: $799
Pros: The fastest, strongest and most feature-rich Apple Watch on the market, waterproof, built-in siren, longer battery life
Cons: less customisation options than the Series 10 or SE, it’s $799
Apple Watch Hermès
This high-fashion collaboration with the Parisian design house is unlikely to be most parents' or guardians' first port of call when looking for an Apple Watch for their kids. However, if they do settle on the $1300 luxury model, they’ll be relieved to find it supports all the same safety and services as the standard Series 10, including built-in cellular connectivity.
Price: Starts at $1249
Pros: Looks fantastic, wide choice of Hermès-designed straps and watch faces
Cons: Not really designed for the children/youth market, only available at select Apple and Hermès stores, could be a draw for thieves
Buying a Used or Secondhand Apple Watch
Kids are kids, and accidents happen. Attaching a $300+ device to their wrist must come with the acceptance that it will suffer accidental loss or damage at some point. Children are constantly falling over, spilling things and losing their possessions – it's part of how they grow and learn.
Apple Watches are expensive, and the high likelihood of damage or loss they’ll sustain when handed to a young child makes the secondhand market a practical and tempting prospect for those new to the world of wearables. Whether it's a private sale over eBay or Facebook Marketplace or an officially-recognised reselling platform like refurbed.com, there are plenty of places to find good-condition used Apple Watches online.
The following cellular Apple Watch models can be erased and set up again in Apple Watch For Your Kids mode:
Cellular Apple Watch Series 4 or later with watchOS 7 or later
Cellular Apple Watch SE 1st gen or later with watchOS 7 or later
Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 with watchOS 7 or later
Alternatives to an Apple Watch for Kids
As industry leaders in the smartwatch space, Apple Watches are so feature-rich that they’ve found favour with all age groups, from primary schoolers to older adults. However, in the competitive field of smartwatches, some brands have leaned into the child-oriented smartwatch niche to pry some of the market share from Apple. Notable examples of kid-focused smartwatches include the Garmin Bounce and the TickTalk 5. Both products are developed specifically for younger children, and their narrower, child-focused range of features and cheaper materials means they retail for a fraction of the price of a new Apple Watch.
For iPhone users, a cellular Apple Watch is still the easiest way to stay connected to kids. Android users, however, will need to purchase an iPhone and create an Apple ID first before they can use Apple Watch For Your Kids. In this case, it may be more practical, easier, and more cost-effective to consider a non-Apple smartwatch, such as the Bounce, TickTalk or Moochies.
Of course, if your main priority is to be able to contact your children, and for them to contact you when they’re out and about, a $20 brick phone and prepaid SIM offers a cheap and practical way to stay in contact without the mobile internet access or reduced battery life of a smartwatch.
Apple Watch Data Plans
To enjoy the full functionality of Apple Watch For Your Kids, Apple Watches require a cellular data plan. There are only a few network providers that offer Apple Watch For Your Kids data plans - one of them is BetterRoaming.
A BetterRoaming Apple Watch plan is easy to install and specifically designed for families. Find out more and connect your family today.
