What can a smartwatch for kids actually teach them? More than you think.

When Rachael Zehrung started her graduate studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, she noticed something about wearable tech and kids. The marketing messages seemed to offer peace of mind—with location-tracking and texting—to parents, but they didn’t say much about what the kids were getting from the tech.

Zehrung is now a fourth-year Ph.D. student in informatics at University of California, Irvine, researching wearable tech to support kids’ autonomy and well-being. Her research shows that wearable tech like smartwatches does more than just ping parents with a kid’s location—it can help teach kids to build emotional awareness, confidence and time-management skills.

Here’s what Zehrung’s research findings—and the experience of one of our parenting experts—show about how smartwatches can work for kids and their parents.

Learning what “five more minutes” really means

Understanding time is really hard for kids. It’s a learned skill that takes time to develop. Yet there’s often an expectation for kids to have a well-developed sense of time regarding everything from doing homework to managing anxiety in a transition. A smartwatch’s timers, countdown alerts and vibrating reminders can act as training wheels for developing a kid’s internal clock.

“Children often struggle to grasp the difference between five minutes and 30 minutes, especially when engaged in enjoyable activities,” says Bea Moise, a cognitive specialist and parent coach. “A wearable device can help by giving them a better sense of time.”

Try this: Use the timer on a smartwatch for kids to set screen-time limits. That awareness of 10 minutes or five minutes left on the timer can make the ground rules you set feel more tangible.

Helping kids notice their feelings

Zehrung’s research shows how wearable tech like a smartwatch for kids can help them tune in to their emotions. The built-in heart-rate monitor can show heart-rate spikes that could be a result of anxiety or overstimulation.

Try this: Use smartwatch for kids data as a conversation starter. Ask, “What were you doing when your heart rate went up?” or “Did anything feel off today?”

Staying connected—on their terms

A smartwatch for kids lets them stay in touch in simple ways. Moise’s kids use their smartwatches to send thumbs-up emojis or quick updates. These devices include a shared family schedule, too.

“They can also send me little messages like a simple 😊 or even a 💩—yes, that’s a thing!” Moise says. “I find this to be a great way to maintain positive communication and interaction.”

Try this: Texts don’t always need to be “Where are you?” Send emojis and voice notes, too, which tends to be easier than sending texts on smartwatches.

Highlighting progress, not just problems

Zehrung says the data that kids can track and share with parents thanks to their smartwatches can be a way to help them celebrate progress toward goals such as physical activity, time-management skills or sleep. Acknowledging these wins, no matter how small, provides positive reinforcement for kids while they’re building good habits.

Try this: Pick one thing to track—like brushing teeth on the Verizon Gizmo Watch 3 to-do lists before 8 PM, or going to bed on time. When the data confirms it? Pizza night!

Beyond the smartwatch for kids

Zehrung has high hopes for the future of wearable tech, which she anticipates will include increased personalization, more options for sharing and displaying data among family members, and options for wearable tech beyond the smartwatch.

“I feel strongly about using wearables for children’s health and agency rather than simply as monitoring tools,” she says. In other words, parents need to think of these devices as more than just a way to check in on kids. This tech can also help kids check in on themselves and their own goals—and that’s how families thrive.

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