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Wirecutter's pick for older kids and Tom's Guide's pick for iPhone families: it's the easiest to text with, joins normal group chats and uses the Find My app you already have. The trade-offs are an expensive watch that can scratch, roughly one-day battery, and more distractions (apps, games and friends' chats) than kid-only watches.
Subscription: Required for use away from the parent's phone: a cellular line, about $10/mo added to an AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile plan (Wirecutter); the cellular model costs $50 more than the GPS model (Tom's Guide)
Top complaints
- Battery may not last the day
Apple rates it at up to 18 hours. Tom's Guide says it often doesn't last the full 18 hours, and Wirecutter says it can run out before the day ends if a child messages friends and uses apps a lot. Parents' tester got a full day with average use.
- More distraction than kid-only watches
Wirecutter says kids can use Siri to find apps and games, join group chats and view photos and videos. You can block downloads and Siri, but kids can exit Schooltime with the crown, group chats can't be turned off, and per-app time limits aren't available.
- Pricey to break, confusing to set up
Wirecutter's tester's then-10-year-old scratched the screen within two weeks. Wirecutter also found parental controls more confusing to set up, since they're split between Screen Time and the Watch app. Tom's Guide notes most health features are switched off when the watch is assigned to a child.
What owners love
- Easiest communication
Wirecutter calls it by far the easiest and most flexible watch it tested: you text it like any contact, including group texts with photos, and kids can type, scribble or dictate replies.
- Built into the parent's iPhone
Tom's Guide says you manage it from your Apple account with no extra app. Wirecutter notes Find My location with arrival and departure alerts, and Parents' tester could check location quickly in Find My or Messages.
- Strongest privacy record
Wirecutter says Apple is known for the strongest privacy protections and cites an EFF review of wearables that found Apple the only one with end-to-end encryption of personal data. Apple's policy for under-13s rules out targeted ads.
- You use an Android phone
- Your child is rough on gear or likely to lose it
- You want a watch with few distractions
- Older kids and teens in iPhone families
- Normal texting and family group chats
- A watch that doesn't look 'babyish'
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Wirecutter (NYT): Best smartwatch for older kids (updated 2026-08-11). The flaws are iPhone-only setup, more distraction, battery that may not last all day, and an expensive device to lose or break.
- Tom's Guide: Best GPS tracker for iPhone (updated 2026-06-26). Cons: the battery often doesn't last the full 18 hours, and health features are excluded on a child's watch.
- Parents: Best Apple Watch (updated 2026-09-23): easy parental controls and a stylish look, but better for older kids, and the cellular model costs more.