Tips for Setting Up Your Child's Smartwatch

Now more than ever, Americans are becoming more attached to their smartwatches and fitness trackers to help keep their lives on track. While they’ve proven to help adults, many are starting to discover they greatly benefit kids. The idea may seem frightening at first, as we don’t want our children to become screen-obsessed; however, the ability to track their location and online activity has brought many parents onboard. If you’re one of these individuals, use these handy tips for setting up your child’s smartwatch.

Charge It

Upon purchase, most kid's 4G smartwatches are already charged. However, in case it doesn’t, use the USB charging cable that comes with the device. Sometimes, an AC adaptor plug will come included with it, but if not, you can use similar plugs for other devices with the smartwatch USB. Plug it in and charge it—it will charge just like a smartphone and might take just as long.

Pair It With Your Phone

After you turn on the smartwatch, connect it to your phone. If the smartwatch you purchase is from the same provider as your smartphone, you’ll need to use the corresponding app to pair them. For Android users, this is Wear OS by Google, and for Apple users, it’s the Apple Watch application. In some cases, you may be able to connect the two via Bluetooth.

Set Up Parental Controls

Both Android and Apple users can limit what their children can do with their smartwatches; however, Apple offers more control.

For Android users, visit the Google Play app and go to settings. Here, you’ll see user controls and parent controls as a subset within the settings. You’ll be asked to create a PIN and then can pick and choose what your kids can and cannot download—you’ll be able to select from apps and games, movies, TV shows, books, and music.

For Apple users, upon pairing your devices and setting a PIN for the watch, Apple will prompt you to pick or add a family member who is using the device. From here, you’ll be given options that will allow you to restrict your child’s buying options, data use, and other features such as a daily move goal or screen time capabilities during school hours.

Enjoy the Smiles

There's nothing like the joy of setting up a new device. Congratulations! We hope our tips for setting up your child’s smartwatch helped you to get it up and running and put parental controls are in place. Now, you can send your kids off with peace of mind that you’ll be able to monitor them even when they’re not at home.