Deciding when to trust your child with a mobile device is a dilemma nearly every parent has already faced, or will soon. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer.
Most parents’ first phone when they were growing up was likely a classic brick, with minimal features outside of calling and texting (and the odd game of snake) — a world away from a fully-functioning pocket computer with unfettered internet access, apps, and messaging services. As awareness around digital wellbeing continues to grow, another screen in the home is rarely a welcome addition. At the same time, mobile devices provide kids with an essential means of contact and serve as a key milestone for developing responsibility and independence.
Apple Watch For Your Kids
With the development of the cellular Apple Watch in 2017, Apple provided a viable middle ground: eSIM-enabled smartwatches ensure children remain (literally) within arms’ reach, without the full capabilities of a smartphone. No cameras, a tiny screen, and a range of parent-controlled features have made them a popular alternative for younger users, while allowing them to stay in contact and enjoy a degree of independence.
Apple has since leaned into this market, developing a range of family-centric features for the Apple Watch. Here, we dig deeper into the reasons for using an Apple Watch and show how to add an eSIM plan to any cellular Apple Watch.
What is an Apple Watch eSIM plan?
The first Apple Watch to hit the shelves in 2015 had, by today’s standards, limited functionality. These early models could only function in the vicinity of a nearby iPhone, paired via a Bluetooth connection.
This all changed with Apple’s first cellular Watch model, 2017’s Series 3. Now, users could download an Apple Watch eSIM plan, just like on their phone, and get online wherever they were. Now, the Watch could function as a standalone mobile device rather than an iPhone accessory.
Seeing the potential this offered families and young people, Apple later developed Apple Watch For Your Kids: a feature where a parent or caregiver could set up multiple, eSIM-enabled Apple Watches from their iPhone and hand them out to others. The iPhone user can also control various parental and safety features for each watch and receive instant updates on the wearer's location, battery level, and more.
Why consider an Apple Watch instead of a smartphone?
- 1
Screen size: This isn’t exactly a targeted feature from Apple, but rather a result of the watch's physical form. Even if a child somehow does manage to circumvent the parental controls, an Apple Watch screen leaves little room to binge YouTube or doomscroll — and while Apple Watch games do exist, access to them ican be controlled by the paired iPhone.
- 2
No camera: Another by-product of the Apple Watch’s pokey dimensions is the lack of space for a camera. Again, this (perhaps unintentionally) makes it suited to a younger audience and provides an extra layer of privacy.
- 3
Harder to lose (in theory): An Apple Watch remains firmly attached to the wearer’s wrist, even during use. Apple even sells a range of bands in different sizes, including smaller options for younger wearers. Compared to a relatively easy-to-lose phone, a Watch is harder to drop, misplace, or steal. Of course, kids are still kids, and parents must still accept the possibility of loss or damage when handing a child an Apple Watch. A possible drawback is that the relative conspicuousness of an Apple Watch may provide a target for thieves.
- 4
Extensive parental controls: Apple recognises the value of the Apple Watch as a substitute phone for children, and has developed a range of child-friendly features and parental controls accordingly. These include Schooltime, which limits the features of the Watch to the bare essentials to help kids focus during school hours, the ability to manage and control contacts, and pinpoint location services.
Which Apple Watch model is best for kids?
We’ve previously explored the current Apple Watch lineup in detail to help determine the best model for kids. While all models feature cellular connectivity (higher-end options like the Hermès Apple Watch and the Ultra 3 feature it as standard), the SE 3 is, on balance, the best option for most children and teens. The SE 3 still boasts most of the capabilities of the core-line Series 11, including the full range of safety features and parental controls, while costing $200 less.
Both the Series 11 and SE 3 are available in GPS- only or GPS + Cellular variations. Only GPS + Cellular models will be able to download an Apple Watch eSIM and get online like a smartphone.
Points to consider before buying an Apple Watch for a child
- 1
Battery life: Battery life has been a longstanding weakness of the Apple Watch line, particularly when compared to lower-fidelity alternatives in the children’s smartwatch category. While the outdoor-ready Apple Watch Ultra 3 claims to offer up to 42 hours of usage on a single charge, prices also start at $799. Lower-tier models, like the Series 11 and SE 3, need to be charged every day.
- 2
Price: Even the “entry-level” SE 3 starts at $299 for a cellular + GPS model. It’s worth noting that only Cellular + GPS models can use Apple Watch eSIM plans and allow kids to call, text, and use mobile data on their watch. While this offers great value for what is a feature-packed smartwatch, it may be more than needed for a child, particularly if you’re considering upgrading to a smartphone in the near future. One caveat here is that the increased capabilities of an Apple Watch may result in better value over time — unlike child-focused products that kids will soon grow out of, an Apple Watch holds longer-term appeal (provided it stays intact).
Apple Watches aren’t exclusively for children (as evinced by the $1500 Hermès Apple Watch Ultra 3). Many adults have discovered the relative freedom of leaving their phones at home and striking out with their cellular smartwatch instead. Compared to targeted kids’ products like the Verizon Gizmo, the Apple Watch is a fully-fledged smartwatch and equally suited to older kids and teenagers. Features like Apple Pay for the Apple Watch reflect this increased responsibility.
Adding a Cellular Plan to an Apple Watch
Apple Watch eSIMs can only be purchased from a small number of official Apple Partners, including BetterRoaming. Adding a cellular plan to an Apple Watch only takes a few minutes. Apple Watch plans can be from the same provider as the linked iPhone, or a different provider altogether. The Watch and the controlling iPhone will still work together with different plan providers.
The future
Over 80% of adults worldwide own a smartphone (in the US, it's nearly 98%). At some point, almost every caregiver will have to entertain the option of handing a child their own mobile. If the timing isn’t quite right yet, a cellular Apple Watch can function as a handy stopgap — especially when set up correctly with an Apple Watch eSIM plan from a trusted carrier like BetterRoaming.
