Best Kids Smart Watches in 2026

Smartwatches strike a balance between the two with kid- and parent-friendly features. Options can feel slim for parents who need to stay connected to their kids. Smartphones can be distracting for younger kids, and GPS trackers can feel invasive for older kids.

Based on our hands-on testing experiences, parent surveys, and years of research, we've chosen the customizable COSMO JrTrack 5 and our overall pick. The Gabb watch is our top choice for your child's first smartwatch. 

The best smartwatches for kids track your child's location, send secure messages, and protect your child from unknown callers. They do all this while also offering fun features that help kids get excited about wearing the device. Check out our top picks for help choosing the best one for your family.

The COSMO JrTrack 4 is our budget pick because it costs about $50–$100 less than other kids smartwatches but doesn't skimp on features. Designed by a father with the needs of both parents and kids in mind, this watch includes a camera, music, a full-text keyboard, and a full roster of safety features. 

We're especially impressed by the COSMO JrTrack 4's SOS mode. When the home button is pressed three times, the watch immediately shifts into live-tracking mode and will automatically answer calls with the caller muted for safety. This lets parents listen in to learn more about the situation. Kids can unmute the caller if it's safe to talk. We haven't seen any other kids smartwatch with such a thoughtfully-designed process. 

• Go ahead and buy the Cosmo Jr Track 4 if robust emergency and communication features are important to you.
• Keep shopping if you want to encourage movement through games.

The Gabb Watch 3e is Gabb's newest affordable watch. It features a unique digital pet that helps motivate kids to stay active and complete chores. Younger kids can easily send custom texts with the speech-to-text feature, while older kids will appreciate the full keyboard. Plus, this watch can be submerged in shallow water for up to 30 minutes without glitching, and it has an ultra-strong Gorilla Glass 3 screen to withstand whatever kids put it through.

• Go ahead and buy the Gabb Watch 3e if you're looking for a durable and easy-to-use watch that encourages kids to stay active and finish their chores.
• Keep shopping if you value emergency features like audio-only drop-ins, automatic call answering, live location tracking and location history, and the ability to dial 911. 

Our testers consistently describe the Gabb Watch as easy to set up and use. The watch includes must-haves like location tracking, safe zones, reminders, and text and voice communication while blocking unknown contacts and keeping kids off the internet. Parents tell us the Gabb Watch has a good blend of features for the price, but they think Gabb could improve its parental contacts. One mom felt frustrated she couldn't add her husband to the account and give him the same control and access she had.

For kids, the real highlight of the Gabb Watch is GabbGo — a clever way to motivate kids to do their chores and get off the couch. It's cute, simple, and a big hit with our group of testers. 

Here's how it works: kids earn virtual coins by completing their to-do lists (which you delegate through the parent app) or reaching step goals. They can spend those coins to care for a virtual pet, teach it tricks, and add even more pets (including a T-Rex and a unicorn) to their menagerie.

Gabb periodically releases new pets, which helps keep the game fresh.

According to our 2024 survey, inappropriate content is parents' number-one child safety concern. Cyberbullying is fourth.¹ If these issues are top of mind for you too, you may appreciate the Bark Watch. It's the only kids smartwatch that notifies parents about problematic messages and photos, so it's a great choice for nipping cyberbullying and abuse in the bud.

• Go ahead and buy the Bark Watch if your kid is very social and loves to connect with their friends, or if you value an excellent SOS system.
• Keep shopping if you're looking for a watch with games or activity tracking. 

Our parent testers loved the Bark Watch and often praised its thorough parental controls, attention-grabbing alerts, and accurate GPS tracking. Testers initially criticized the parent app because it was difficult to find certain settings, but the app has since been updated and is now significantly easier to navigate. 

Parents say most features are geared toward kids about 9 and up, so the watch may seem like overkill for younger kids. 

One important thing to know about the Bark Watch is how it communicates with other devices. Contacts must be parent-approved (as usual), but they don't have to log in to an app to call or message the Bark Watch. This allows kids to connect with each other through their smartwatches or phones, which may not support third-party apps. 

The potential for so much peer-to-peer interaction makes the Bark Watch's cyberbullying protection even more important, and we're glad to see it. 

The Verizon Gizmo Watch 3 Adventure is the most affordable kids smartwatch that we recommend. With a data plan that's just $10 per month, it costs 33% less than the average kids smartwatch. The watch itself costs about $149 upfront ($99 device fee and $40 activation fee), which is about average. However, you can finance the device for $2.77/mo. for 36 months. 

If you prefer Verizon's other kids smartwatch, the Gizmo Watch 3, you'll still enjoy the affordable $10/mo. data plan but will need to pay about $199 upfront (or $40 upfront for the activation fee and $4.16/mo. for 36 months to finance the device). That makes it one of the priciest kids smartwatch in terms of upfront fees, but the month-to-month savings add up to a couple hundred dollars over time.

• Go ahead and buy the Verizon Gizmo Watch 3 Adventure if you want a basic but reliable kids smartwatch with good location-tracking features and an unbeatable price.
• Switch to the Gizmo Watch 3 if you don't mind paying $50 more in upfront fees in exchange for a camera and video calling.
• Keep shopping if you're prioritizing a more interactive experience for your child and want higher-quality fitness games or additional contact slots.

The Verizon Gizmo Watch has been a long-time favorite of ours, but newer kids smartwatches have left it in the dust with interactive fitness games, unlimited contacts, and even music streaming. Still, the Gizmo Watch 3 and 3 Adventure have good bones and some thoughtful features for parents.

For example, parents can switch the GizmoWatch to quiet mode or vibration mode via the app. This allows incoming calls to show up on the screen but silences the ringtone and any of the watch’s sound effects. You can also set up specific quiet times to ensure your child’s ringtone doesn’t disrupt their class, or turn off the watch altogether.

Another neat feature is “auto answer.” After parents toggle this setting on the GizmoHub app, the watch will automatically pick up your call after ringing for ten seconds. This lets you listen in to check on your child or talk through the watch in an emergency.

After 10-plus years of testing and wearing family safety devices, we know what makes a kids smartwatch stand out (or not). Here's a peek into our evaluation process and a look at popular features to consider when choosing the best kids smartwatch for your family.

• Price and monthly costs: Most kids smartwatches cost about $150–$200 upfront plus a monthly service fee, but more affordable options are available.
• Communication options: Full-text keyboards are pretty common in kids smartwatches these days. You can also look for video calls, voice calls, voice messaging, and voice-to-text to suit your child's needs.
• Contact options: Some kids smartwatches only receive calls and texts sent through the brand's phone app, which can limit communication between friends. Regardless, parents should be able to control who can call or text their child's watch.
• Location tracking: Most kids smartwatches offer this important safety feature, but some go a step further and provide safe zone notifications and live updates upon request.
• Emergency features: Most kids smartwatches have SOS buttons that call a parent or guardian, and some will call secondary numbers if the first emergency contact doesn't pick up. Other helpful emergency features to look for include automatic call pick-up, audio drop-ins (so you can discreetly hear the child's surroundings), removal notifications, and the ability to dial 911.
• Entertainment: There's got to be something in it for the kid, right? They may be more likely to wear it every day and keep it charged if it includes fun features like arcade games, music streaming, or audiobooks. 
• Games that encourage movement: Many parents are understandably worried that technology could promote a sedentary lifestyle. Some kids smartwatches tackle this issue with creative games that reward movement. For example, the child may need to log 500 steps to progress in the game.
• Bluetooth support for headphones: This is especially useful for listening to music, streaming an audiobook, listening to game sound effects, or having a call.
• Useful apps: An alarm clock, flashlight, to-do list, and weather app make these watches far more useful. Some also come with a calculator.
• Parental controls: Some kids smartwatches allow parents to set screen time limits, remotely shut down the watch, and set up School Mode or Focus Mode. 
• Ease of use: The watch should be intuitive to navigate and include a responsive touch screen. The parent app should also be easy to use.

In addition, it's important for parents and caregivers to have an open, ongoing dialogue with the children in their lives about their goals for getting a smartwatch and how to use and take care of it responsibly. 

We also surveyed 1,000 parents in May 2024 in order to understand their top kids safety concerns, which included:

• Access to inappropriate content
• Abduction
• Accidental injury
• Cyberbullying

The survey results helped us hone in on features that keep kids off the internet, track their location, prevent harmful messages, and give both kids and parents access to emergency tools. We ultimately came up with a list of 45 criteria for comparing kids smartwatches and narrowing down the top candidates.

Once we determined which kids smartwatches had the best features, we tested them hands-on with parents and kids. Brands we've tested include TickTalk, Gabb, Bark, COSMO, AngelSense, Angel Watch, Apple Watch, T-Mobile SyncUp, and Xplora. Tests are ongoing, and we'll have insights to share about more brands, like Garmin, very soon. 

Our tests focus on ease of use, comfort, and durability. Testers use the watch daily for at least one to two weeks, then report back on their likes and dislikes. We also keep tabs on families that adopt any of these watches to see how they perform over time.

We also read hundreds of user reviews to look for trends in performance and customer service. On top of that, we speak regularly to many of these companies to learn about how the technology is developed, why they choose the features they do, and what's coming next.

Our favorite kids smartwatches meet in the middle between "fun gadget" and "safety device." Kids love having a direct line to their loved ones, and the games and fun features certainly don't hurt. Parents love giving kids more freedom while drawing fair boundaries. 

The Cosmo JrTrack is our top pick overall. The Gabb watch is a basic watch that's easy to use for younger kids. The PinWheel watch is a straight forward option for older kids that are ready for a camera, and the Bark Watch has unprecedented cyberbullying and content protection.

1. SafeWise, "SafeWise Kids Safety Survey: 2024 Results," Aug 2024. Accessed October, 2025.
2. Wall Street Journal, "Smartwatches: The New Classroom Nuisance," September 2021. Accessed October, 2025.