It finally happened. On a sunny weekend, I sent my then 7-year-old daughter a block away to the playground while I helped her little brother sort out his new pedal bike. It must have taken a long time, because I started receiving a bunch of calls from an unknown number. When we finally caught up, my daughter was standing next to a stranger and crying. The Good Samaritan held his phone. “You weren’t there,” he said accusingly.
“I was 500 feet away!” I protested. It was no use. It was time to give my children a Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch is one of the company’s most versatile watches (and popular) products. Some people use it for texting or as a styling accessory. I mainly use mine as fitness tracker. In 2020, Apple launched Family Setup with WatchOS 7which explicitly marketed the more affordable, older versions of the Apple Watch to children and elderly parents.
Since 2020, the debate over whether minors should have smart devices has become heavier. In 2024, many schools smartphones banned; last year, my daughter’s school district, among others, smart watches banned. Products like Reel And Phone in a tin can are intended to provide telephone-free communication alternatives.
However, as a parent and an iPhone user myself, I still find an Apple Watch to be a practical compromise. I have old Apple Watches at home and generally prefer to give my kids technology from big companies that will be forced to respond quickly. security failures. Here’s how to do it. Do you need to buy a watch? Check out our guides on Best Apple Watch or the Main features of WatchOS 26 to find out more.
Updated February 2026: We’ve included updated information on smartwatch and smartphone bans, updates on WatchOS 26, and updated links.
What do you need?
Apple introduced Family Setup, now known as Apple Watch for Your Kids, in 2020 with WatchOS 7. To use this somewhat awkwardly named feature, you need a Apple Watch Series 6 or later with cellular capabilities that you add to your cell phone plan. (Technically this works with any Series 4 or later watch, but we no longer recommend the first generation SE, Series 4, or Series 5 because they are not compatible with WatchOS 26.) You also need a iPhone with iOS 14 or later.
You and your child also need a Apple ID. If you both already have one, you can go to Settings on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then click Family. Then click Add a member. If your child does not have an Apple ID, you will have the option to Create a child account. From there, follow the instructions to add the child’s name, date of birth, and email address. If they don’t already have an email address, you can use the suggested iCloud option.
A blank slate
The Apple Watch SE.
Photography: Adrienne So
First, unpair and erase your old Apple Watch. Open it Apple Watch app on your phone and click All watches. Tap the information button next to your old watch and click Unpair Apple Watch. You can choose to keep your cellular plan (you will need it for your child).
Unpairing is supposed to erase all content and settings on your watch, but in my case it doesn’t. If that doesn’t work for you either, tap Settings on the watch, then General > Reset > Erase all content and settings.
At this point you can ask your child to put it on (if charged). The watch will say Bring iPhone closer to Apple Watch. If you open the Watch app, it lets you choose to Setup for a family member. Point the phone’s viewfinder at the slowly moving animation to pair, or select Associate manually.
Apple’s tutorial is pretty straightforward from this point on. I chose a password that was easy for my daughter to remember and chose it from my family list. I continued cell service. Next, I set up all the usual features and services for an Apple Watch, including Ask to buy so she couldn’t buy anything on the App Store without my permission, MessagesAnd Emergency SOS.
I also chose to limit my daughter’s contacts on the watch. First, go to Settings > iCloud > Contacts on your phone and make sure it’s turned on. Then click on, return to Settings > Screen time > Family member > Communication limits. You must ask your child’s permission to manage their contacts and approve it from the child’s watch. Under their supervision, you can add and rename contacts from your contact list (Dad becomes “Grandpa”, Tim becomes “Uncle Timmy”, and so on).
The last stage lights up School timewhich is essentially a remote-controlled version of an adult Objective of the work. It blocks apps and complications, but emergency calls can still get through. The setup tutorial shows you how to set up Schooltime on your child’s watch, but if you skip it during setup, you can deal with it later. On your iPhone, tap All watches > Your child’s watch > School time > Edit calendar.
I chose to turn School Time on when my child is at school and off during after-school care, but you can also click Add time If you want to turn it on during a morning class, take a break for lunch, then turn it back on. Your child can simply turn the digital crown to exit Schooltime, but that’s okay: you can also view their Schooltime reports on your iPhone.
To manage your child’s watch, go to your Watch > All watches > Family watches > Your child’s Apple Watch. This is how you install updates and manage settings. For more settings you can enable or disable, visit Apple’s website. full list here. For example, you can check health information, set up a medical ID, or even edit their smart responses.
Fun for everyone
Just like with an adult Apple Watchthe first thing you probably want to do is change the watch face. Hold the screen and wait for the face to shrink, then drag to change. (You probably also want to buy a small watch strap specific to children.)
We got my daughter an Apple Watch so I could see her on Find My and she could contact me via phone or email. Messages app, which it does with unfortunate frequency.
Another underrated in-car app for kids is Walkie-talkie. When we were attending a crowded neighborhood event, we flipped Walkie-talkie on both of our Apple Watches. My daughter was able to stay in touch with me minute to minute. It was reassuring to be able to hold out my hand and say that she couldn’t see me, even though she was only 10 or 20 feet away.
We also like the Mindfulness app, which can persuade my sensitive child to take a deep breath before screaming about the annoying sound her brother makes. Even though I explicitly wanted to get her a watch instead of a phone so she wouldn’t stare at a screen all day, I gave in and bought her a game, Coloring watchwhich allows him to choose images, refine color selections and send us his creations.
The most useful feature she found on her Apple Watch is Siriwhich makes sense. Over the past few years, I’ve heard him ask questions as varied as:
- Hey Siri, what is Russia?
- How many stars are there on the American flag?
- Can you show me pictures of the most disgusting animal?
In case you’re wondering, the world’s grossest animals are truly revolting. We were having dinner and I couldn’t even click on the photos to find out what these animals were. But that’s the thing about kids: you learn from them, even if you think they’re learning from you. Perhaps if more of us used technology to connect with the world around us, instead of alienating us from it, we would all be better off.
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