What’s nice about a smart watch is that it’s basically a dumb phone that’s hard to lose. Great for kids.

Exactly this. It’s strapped to his arm. Airtags in the rest of his things also helps him find his lost items.

It’s an enabler! Smartwatch is better than dumb phone in nearly every way. Can phone? Check. Has GPS? Check. Can route public transport? Check. No tiktok? Check! Good battery life. No check :(

I work around that last one with a keychain battery charger.

This is not a substitute for teaching your kid what to do when lost (or watch is lost or nicked), but it gives them tremendous freedom. My son can navigate the world on his own now, all thanks to a bit of techno-magic on his wrist.

Asking an 11-year-old with ADHD to keep track of a dumb phone is just asking for trouble. The watch straps to their arm and can't be set down somewhere and forgotten.

The one thing none of my three kids has ever lost is their mobile phone. They notice within a minute if they don't have it.

Are they smart phones? In my experience dumb phones have much less magnetism.