Is this ok for an almost 8 year old ?

[OJR]

A smart watch which counts your steps etc ?
dd starting juniors and I’d like to get her a watch however I’m not sure whether a step counter one isn’t good for her age ? The whole calorie part really puts me off but I’d explain to take no notice of the calorie side of it !
AIBU to get one for her is she too young ?

What about something like this 😊
From what I can see there is no mention of calorie counting being on there.

www.argos.co.uk/product/9413870?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=iqatprwqp&istBid=t&utm_custom6=LIA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=free_listing&utm_campaign=merchant_center&deeplink=true

Thank you I’ll have a look xx

Depends on your child and their propensity to get sucked in to the 10,000/day thing.

If you have a step counter too, maybe you can have a conversation about how some days you might have >20,000 and other days you might have <5,000 and that it’s ok to have differences across the week.

They were banned at DDs school, analogue watches only.

Does the school allow them?

Just get a normal watch.

Just buy a normal watch. There is no need to get drawn into a world of activity tracking at such a young age, not everything in life needs "metrics".

I think you’re overthinking this from the point of projecting some of your own anxieties. That said, I’m not sure I’d bother because an 8 year old only has so much control over how much movement they have in a day. School tells them when to sit and when to go outside. You tell them when to go out and play after school or sit in front of the tv so you can get things done. I’m not sure it’s really the same as for an adult who can manage their physical activity themselves.

My children had kids’ Fitbits at this age. They sync with an app on your phone so they didn’t need a smartphone and there is no calorie information, just steps, time, alarms etc.

Have a look at the Fitbit Ace. They’re about £50 new or pick up a second hand one on eBay / Vinted.

Go for analogue. It'll really give her an advantage in the relevant maths lessons and SATs. Most kids are useless at time questions.

Analogue watch.

My 7 year old has a watch that has a step counter but no calories stuff or anything like that. He likes to see how many steps he does in a day but he's not fussed when he has days when he doesn't do so much.

My kids have step counter watches and love them. They find it really interesting to see how many steps they do and always do over the minimum.

Why do you want to get a smart watch that counts steps? Why would a child even be thinking about steps or need to think about it? Has she asked for one? If not, then no, don’t get her one unless there’s a very good reason that you haven’t mentioned.

Please get her an analogue watch and help her to learn how to tell the time. Even though digital time is more common now, there are still occasions when it is helpful to be able to recognise the time on an analogue clock and so many children struggle with this.

Most schools won't allow them. I wouldn't my child has an Ed so counting is a complete no no. I understand most kids won't be the same though. I just think as long as kids do excersize why do you need one? You don't need to count steps fullstop.

Why does she need a smart watch at all?