DD turns 10 on Friday and the only thing she would really like is an Apple Watch. Would you?

[AliceInSlumberville]

DD3 is turning 10 on Friday; she does not have a phone. Her elder sisters both in high school both have phones and watches (hand me downs from DH and I).

DD3 is begging for a phone but she knows she won’t get one until she starts high school. All she would like for her birthday is an Apple Watch to text us on .

DD3 is always with us but I see the novelty and grown up feeling of it appeals to her.

To allow her to text we would need to purchase her a data plan; it’s low cost for the plan. DH does not see the point in buying her a watch without the data to text as it would then just be similar to a basic fitness watch.

There is the option to set up “school time” on the watch so she would be unable to text during school hours (very important!).

Has anyone else given their primary aged DC an adult styled smart watch? Can Apple Watches be used without an iPhone? Do primary schools allow them to be worn?

I’m undecided on whether to get her one or not. It would be her only present but she would be delighted. Thoughts?

@AliceInSlumberville

We are reluctant to give her a phone for the same reasons; she doesn’t need one and it is very unlikely to get used.

She uses her tablet to communicate with her friends and they also play over (heavily supervised) voice chat online.

In the area we live it’s more unusual for her age range to own their own phone than it is for them not to have one. Our elder daughters were given phones for their birthdays before high school and DD3 will be the same.

I know she would be delighted with the watch but if I think the novelty will last all of thirty minutes before it’s discarded in a drawer .

I think she'll be bored of it as it doesn't do much at all without a phone set up alongside

Got one for DD at 10. No issues with wearing it at school (they have to hand their phones in). We have a daily movement challenge to encourage her to move more and she can send messages if anything changes at school (as it’s paired with the phone). Eg if she wants to go to the park on the way home so that we can approve and don’t worry that she’s late home.

Other cools gifts-

Rollerblades
Kindle
Posca pens
Calligraphy course
Something for a sport she does- new horse harness, air track, badminton racquet etc?
North face coat

Texting on an Apple Watch is really laborious.

Look at a space talk or Vodafone do a similar one. It’s a watch based smart phone, doesn’t do pics, can do calls and basic texting. Basically, exactly what she says she wants it for. It’s limited to people you set on the app, you can disable it at school times and night, and it also has a GPS So you can see where she is. My kids had them from 8 ish and I felt more comfortable letting them out to walk the dog etc, knowing they can get me or vice Versa, but equally, that I control who can contact them or who they could contact

No way. Pointless without a phone and very expensive to be lost or broken. Plus it would probably be huge and clunky on her arm.
There are cheaper children's 'smart watches' that might do the job, but even then I'd be reluctant.
What/why does she need to text you? Where would you be without her that would need a text?

I’ve shown DH this thread and our decision is made; we won’t be buying the Apple Watch for her just yet. It all seems rather pointless just now.

I agree with others- maybe sit her down and explain that without the phone it's a bit useless but do it before her birthday so she's prepared not to receive it and avoid massive disappointment on the day

@inappropriateraspberry

No way. Pointless without a phone and very expensive to be lost or broken. Plus it would probably be huge and clunky on her arm. There are cheaper children's 'smart watches' that might do the job, but even then I'd be reluctant. What/why does she need to text you? Where would you be without her that would need a text?

DD caused quite a panic after lockdown when instead of walking home she went to the park with her friends. Sparked a hunt involving several parents, teachers and owners of local shops etc. The longest hour of my life.

As an only child she had missed contact with school friends during lockdown, which I understood, but she hadn’t realised the chaos that would ensue. Her phone is with her teacher or in her bag for safety, but she can send a quick message asking if she can go to the park with friends and get permission now.

Not allowed at our local Primaries

DD has one of these:

XPLORA 4 - Watch Phone for children (SIM Free) 4G - Calls, Messages, Kids School Mode, SOS function, GPS Location, Camera and Pedometer - Includes 2 Year Warranty (TURQUOISE) https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082PZ7219/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttiDQFMVSG45444VBKNW4YJ??encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Would recommend.

My DS is 10 and he'd lose it or drop it in the first 2 weeks I'm sure!!! It's an expensive breakage!!! And he has an iphone!

@AliceInSlumberville

I’ve shown DH this thread and our decision is made; we won’t be buying the Apple Watch for her just yet. It all seems rather pointless just now.

I think you made an excellent choice.

@girlmom21

I think it's an extortionate amount of money to spend on a 10 year old and there's no point getting her a watch without the accompanying phone.

Texting on an Apple Watch kills the battery.

Agree

If you wanted a compromise you could get her a Fitbit, looks smart and has a lot of similar programmes that an Apple Watch has, can receive texts but again would require a phone. You can link this as a child’s profile on the Fitbit app.

Much cheaper and if she takes to it you could say in a few years she could try an Apple Watch. I imagine she would find it quite boring once the novelty wore off and it’s a lot of money for gift that’s likely to go largely unused as pp said.

Crikey! Mine is 11 next week. She's not really asked for anything apart from a sloth duvet cover (Dunelm sale!) and some mosaic sticker books. Very easily pleased thankfully. I've obviously added some other things, but being so close to Christmas, there's nothing she really needs. She'll be getting a phone in the summer before starting secondary school.

I agree with others. A smart watch won't work unless it's connected to a phone so she can't even tell the time on it let alone connect to send a text.

DD 10 has an Xplora too. We can see her location when she's out playing near our house, and she can send us emojis, voice recording, photos and call us etc. You control all contacts via an app on your phone. She has us and her brothers as main contacts she can interact with.

It certainly isn't an Apple watch though but it's bridging that gap between not having a phone, and phone.

@Tippexy

Texting on an Apple Watch is really laborious.

Not if you dictate!

Seems like a wise choice. DD 10 (11 by Christmas) is getting an iPhone then so she has it for starting secondary school. It still feels early for me, however it’s too expensive to just give as a random gift in the summer.

Any ideas what she would like instead?
Concert tickets are always well received here.

Smart watches have just been banned by our secondary school so it might not even be worth her having a watch when older either if other schools follow.