The next Apple Watch SE might be mostly plastic.
Smartwatches might be better than phones for kids.
But not as good as just letting them run free without tech or tracking.
The next Apple Watch SE will probably made of plastic, which is great for kids. Or is it?
A plastic Apple watch might be cheaper and more robust than regular models, which would make it the perfect way to stay in touch with your kids. With a cellular model, you could track them and let them access things like music, podcasts, and maps without having to give them a phone while they’re still young. It seems like a great way around a very modern parental dilemma, but should our kids be this deep in tech anyway? And do we really need to track their every move?
“It seems clear to researchers and parents alike that we are giving them technology much too young,” Matthew Mulvaney, professor of human development and family science at Syracuse University, told Lifewire via email. “If kids need to be 16 to drive, 17 to view NC-17 movies, and 18 to vape, it seems like those should be the anchors to thinking about when kids are really ready for social media. I think we all agree they should be much closer to adulthood and much farther away from childhood than the current practices.”
Phone Home
Kids want phones. They can play games, watch videos, and communicate with their friends. But increasingly, parents are realizing the dangers and want to keep their kids away from social media and other damaging influences until they are old enough to deal with them.
“One of the worst things about smartphones is that they [take] away from the present context, making social interactions both less likely and less fulfilling. It’s almost a tether to the online world that never allows someone to be fully immersed in social interactions,” says Mulvaney. “They will miss the richness of the full social interaction at all times because the divided attention will always be present.”
A smartwatch might seem like a good compromise, as it can avoid many of the downsides. Plus, it gives parents the peace of mind that comes with always knowing where their offspring are via tracking apps. Like any tech, parents still need to help their kids use it properly, but at least the range of potential dangers is reduced.
“With any form of technology, parents need to discuss risks, set boundaries, set rules and expectations, and keep tabs on what is happening,” Jillian Amodio, licensed therapist and founder of Moms for Mental Health, told Lifewire via email. “Just like we teach kids a variety of other skills from conflict resolution to riding a bike, we must teach them to use technology appropriately as well and this comes with supervision.”
But maybe we should consider whether our kids might be healthier—mentally and physically—if we not only keep them away from phones but let them off the technological leash entirely.
Free-Range Kids
“The fear of near impossible harms such as kidnapping by a stranger keeps kids from being able to form these other more natural play experiences. That’s not to say that there’s no risk in unsupervised play,” says Mulvaney. “However, setting up some general boundaries and some general principles based on trust (such as no playing in water) could help kids develop into much happier kids.”
The biggest danger to kids might be the mental anguish of social pressure and bullying, not stranger danger. While it’s tempting to stay on top of them at all times, maybe it’s better to just let kids be kids.
“Parents will need to accept some things like more skinned knees, probably more broken bones, and the increased likelihood of more minor delinquency in their kids. They’ll probably also need to deal with some more temporary unhappiness and conflict that their kids will face at times in the short term in this unsupervised play. But in the end, that’s what makes kids strong, resilient, and more confident to face the world,” says Mulvaney
Explaining all this to your child probably won’t stop them hankering for a phone, of course, because all their friends have one, and not fitting in brings the possibility of social ostracisation. Ideally, schools would ban phones for all kids, but that still seems a way off. Just like with everything else in life, it seems like technology isn’t making this easier like we were promised, but much, much harder.
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