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Parents turn to smartwatches for their children amid global phone screen-time pushback
(www.straitstimes.com)
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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All of that you can do with a phone too. I do admit thought the argument of not losing it as easily since its on your arm makes sense.
I think you're far less likely to spend a lot of screen time on a watch, hence the article
If you restrict the crap out of the phones so there is not much interesting to do for kids, it will have similar effects. E.g. they complain about YouTube on their kids phones, block it. Complain about games, don't let them install them.
I'm sure, but a watch is 1000% more convenient if you don't need any normal smart phone functionality (social media, games, internet access, media player, etc...). Its simpler to not have the option to use those features at all than to blacklist everything.
On top of that, it's less likely to get lost or dropped/damaged like a flip phone. Probably has better battery life too. For small form-factor messaging + GPS its the most functional package.
There's also tools that can limit time spent in specific apps
It's best when they don't have an option to install and use this stuff to begin with, if it's a problem. Mostly because I'm sure kids will find a way to bypass restrictions (because most these apps aren't that good)
You obviously don't have kids. I gave mine crappy Minecraft watches that had a couple games on it, and they were glued to them for hours at a time. It became a pretty big problem because they were staying up late.
Just imagine what they could do with a more capable device that can talk w/ friends.
Unless your kid, I don't know, takes it off for some reason and leaves it at school over the weekend. Hypothetical, of course. Hasn't happened to me once... or 4 times even.
Difference is the school isn't going to confiscate my kid's watch (yet)
I think the not losing it and easy to carry thing is the key point. If they have to at least keep it in a backpack pocket fine, but if it has any whiff of something distracting to do on it, many kids will get distracted.
Mine have not hit that age yet so I still have time to form my opinions and be informed. As someone who likes small compact things I can't lose, a watch sounds ideal.