Isn't it too expensive for such age? I can't imagine I had such a gift at this age. I also have spent a lot of money on wrist wawtches. I do not use them at all and don't wear anywhere, and I see no point in the fact that they are laying at my house. Money should work and not be stored in a closet. That's my opinion, but a lot of other people adore their collections of watches. You can just visit site and check how many watches are being sold nowadays by people who don't need them. But in your case it can be just dangerous for teen.

My kids both have a gizmo gadget. Does exactly as the OP describes, but does not require a phone (this watch IS THE PHONE) and costs me an extra $5/mo on my Verizon plan. The watch was $100. We call, text, send reminders, track via GPS, send alerts to me once the kid goes out of the allowable range, and he can call text 10 people.

My 12 y.o. bought himself an Apple watch (saved up all his birthday/holiday $ gifts over time) last year. Contrary to those who say just give your kid a phone, my disorganized son can never remember to take his phone places, doesn't have a pocket for it, would set it down and forget it., etc. The watch fixes all these problems - he's wearing it, so can take it on his bike, to sports, anywhere he's not carrying a bag. Highly recommend.

Anonymous wrote:I would start with getting him an old iPhone or activating one of your old ones if you have one. My 10 yo has this and it has been convenient for us to text when he’s home alone or at a sleepover. He never brings it when he’s actually out in the neighborhood. He has a Fitbit and rarely wears it now that the initial thrill has worn off. I think the same would happen with an Apple Watch.

And you can block the internet and apps.

I would start with getting him an old iPhone or activating one of your old ones if you have one. My 10 yo has this and it has been convenient for us to text when he’s home alone or at a sleepover. He never brings it when he’s actually out in the neighborhood. He has a Fitbit and rarely wears it now that the initial thrill has worn off. I think the same would happen with an Apple Watch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, don't let some of these (petty, cheap, jealous?) posters get you down!

I've been wondering the same thing about the Apple Watch for my active 13 year old. A phone is too much to run and bike around with, but being able to text him on a wrist watch, have the GPS function, and alarm setting for ADHD DS would be awesome.

You know that to text, etc you need to sync the watch with an iphone. Without an iphone, the apple watch can do very little.

? Love this!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, don't let some of these (petty, cheap, jealous?) posters get you down!

I've been wondering the same thing about the Apple Watch for my active 13 year old. A phone is too much to run and bike around with, but being able to text him on a wrist watch, have the GPS function, and alarm setting for ADHD DS would be awesome.

You know that to text, etc you need to sync the watch with an iphone. Without an iphone, the apple watch can do very little.

? Love this!

Anonymous wrote:The PPs are incorrect. The new watches are stand alones, they work as phones. My husband has had the old version which needed to have a phone close by from the beginning and it sucked to run with your phone. He was so excited when the new ones came out this year. Now he can run/play soccer without bringing his actual phone. He can text, track his running, make calls, etc. with just the watch. We bought it for our 10 year old son who is always out and about in the neighborhood. Now we text him and if he doesn't text back we call him. Hey it's time to come home, we are having dinner in 15minutes. We've texted him at school: Hey, don't forget to look for your jacket in the lost and found. It really is awesome. We don't let him sleep with it, but you can if you want to track your sleep. He also got an app to track his swimming. It is pretty great!

Tons of 10 year olds manage to do this exact same thing with a regular 'ol cellphone, not sure why you think an Apple watch is necessary. And as for texting your kid at school, I think that's a horrible horrible idea. Whether it's a phone or a watch, your kid should not be reading text messages during the school day. It's incredibly distracting and probably infuriating for the teachers. Listen, I don't care if you get your 10 yer old an Apple watch, but don't try to convince anyone it's necessary for keeping in touch. It's not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, don't let some of these (petty, cheap, jealous?) posters get you down!

I've been wondering the same thing about the Apple Watch for my active 13 year old. A phone is too much to run and bike around with, but being able to text him on a wrist watch, have the GPS function, and alarm setting for ADHD DS would be awesome.

Are you stupid?

For the Apple Watch to work it needs to be near the paired iPhone.

Your son would still need to have his iPhone in his pocket to be able to use any of those functions. If you think a phone is too much to run and bike around with, then how is a watch and a phone any better? If he forgets the iPhone, he can't use the watch to text, gps, etc. It will tell time and set alarms though...

No, you are stupid. The new watches are stand alone devices. Do your research before you talk. The old version needed a phone. I got the new apple watches for both my kids. They don't have phones and can call and text us from wherever they are.

The PPs are incorrect. The new watches are stand alones, they work as phones. My husband has had the old version which needed to have a phone close by from the beginning and it sucked to run with your phone. He was so excited when the new ones came out this year. Now he can run/play soccer without bringing his actual phone. He can text, track his running, make calls, etc. with just the watch. We bought it for our 10 year old son who is always out and about in the neighborhood. Now we text him and if he doesn't text back we call him. Hey it's time to come home, we are having dinner in 15minutes. We've texted him at school: Hey, don't forget to look for your jacket in the lost and found. It really is awesome. We don't let him sleep with it, but you can if you want to track your sleep. He also got an app to track his swimming. It is pretty great!

FYI, students aren’t permitted to wear smart devices at the elementary school where I teach (LCPS).

In principle, I have no problem with this. I would check with the school to find out the school policy on such devices. It can be used, for example to cheat on exams.

I have a rule. My kids don’t get to have anything that’s newer/nicer than I do. This goes for electronics and cars and winter coats. If I have a 6 they’re not getting a 10. If I don’t have an Apple Watch, neither is my 10 year old.
You clearly don’t have an Apple Watch.
I can’t believe it autocapitalizes. Apple controls us.

Anonymous wrote:I would mug a 10 year old wearing an Apple Watch.

Please get a job and that is a horrid thing today

Anonymous wrote:A month ago I would have flamed you. Then I bought myself an Apple watch. It's incredible and I love it. It really helps keep me organized. You do have to have an iPhone except for the new version, which requires a $10 monthly cell phone fee. There are several good smart watches for kids that aren't apple and aren't dependent on cell service.

Me too. I run alone 6 days a week and I never take my phone so it’s a great safety tool. I am also on duty 24/7 for work a few weeks out of the year, so it’s great to be able to walk around my building, my home, and do things outside in addition to running, without having to have my phone in hand.

But I would never recommend it for a kid!!! Way too expensive.