'I never thought I would give my daughter a smartwatch. Then I tried this one'

At $300 a pop, it's not cheap. But peace of mind over the Christmas break is priceless. 

"Surely the last thing an 8yo girl needs in her life is yet another device." 

"I'm so busy trying to wrangle my kid off a screen, why on earth would I strap one to their wrist?"

"CAN THE CHILDREN NOT BE BORED FOR ONE MINUTE!?"

If you've had any of the above thoughts before, I feel you. I've had them too. And when my daughter started pestering me for a smartwatch this year for her 8th birthday, I had no hesitation giving her a big fat No.

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But when the opportunity arose to trial the new NickWatch, a smartwatch for 5-11 year olds with extensive safety features, I have to admit I was intrigued. 

Was this just another unnecessary product children were coveting because their schoolmates had one? Or was it a genuinely useful tool for parents with a fun twist for kids?

Here's what I found out.

The basics

The NickWatch is made by wearable tech company Watchinu under license agreement with Nickelodeon, and is available in Australia via Big W, Amazon and Opel Mobile, as well as via the NickWatch site. 

It retails for $299 and requires an ongoing subscription plan for your child to be able to make and receive calls, with tiers running from$165 for a yearly subscription (term commitment) to $19.95 per month (no commitment).

There is no social media or internet access, and only approved numbers in the 'Family Ring' are allowed to contact your child. 

My daughter loved being able to communicate with us like a grown up! Image: supplied

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What I liked 

You know what's wild? Being able to text with your primary-school aged kid. I loved it! 

I particularly like this option for the school holidays where I, as a working mum, will be dropping my daughter off to various camps, some of which she's never attended before. I like that she will be able to contact me should she feel unsafe or isn't enjoying herself. (Or even just to say hello. It was pretty cute!) 

Like many parents, I don't feel quite the same way about school (the less distraction the better) which is where the School Mode comes in handy. You can set the dates and times it's active (for instance 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday) and during that time the games aren't functional and texts and calls are limited.

The NickWatch was super easy to set up, and even came with a fun instructional video! Image: supplied

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While we didn't have to use it, I also appreciated the SOS feature which can be activated by pressing and holding the physical SOS button on the NickWatch, which then sends an emergency message directly from your kid to your Family Ring members via The NickWatch app. I can imagine this affords many parents real peace of mind, especially if their children were taking public transport by themselves. 

While I didn't personally set up the watch (I admittedly farmed that task out to my husband) he said it was really easy and the only hiccup he encountered was an inability to change his first name to 'Dad' - although he stresses this is likely a "him" problem. 

Finally, the watch is FUN! A neat little device with heaps of things to explore and create. As we are currently in the school holidays, my attitude was 'go for your life!' However - there were some downsides to this, which I'll discuss next. 

What I wasn't sure about 

While the games featured on the NickWatch promote physical activity, creativity and other desirable attributes, they are still games on a screen. Just this morning we were in my car and there was all kinds of beeping  going off as my daughter thrashed her arms around violently to, apparently, free a jellyfish? (Further research required.) She was loving herself sick. The rest of the car less so. 

I wasn't overly blown away with the battery life (we ended up charging ours every night) and I did need to get some help troubleshooting an issue I had early on, in which I was unable to text my daughter but she could text me. (Screenshot below). 

I was initially unable to send texts to my daughter, though she could text me. Image: Supplied

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The issue ended up being a result of early product samples where connectivity cuts out if the device changes from one wifi to another wifi or Cellular whilst in the chat app. I deleted and reinstalled the app and made sure it was all up to date, and hey presto! Problem solved. 

Finally, at $300 plus subscription fees, the price point is also fairly high for the average Australian. And if your child is on the younger side/not using public transport and just going to school and home and school again (where it would remain on school mode) the question is: do they really need one? 

(Disclaimer: I do have a friend with a neurodivergent child (also 8 years old) who is prone to wander, and takes great comfort in her child wearing her smartwatch at all times. I guess the decision really comes down to each individual parent.)

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My verdict

The NickWatch is undoubtedly a great product, and my daughter was instantly smitten. I really loved being able to text her when I was away from her (at one point on the weekend I went to get a pre-Xmas pedicure, and being able to text back and forth was a blast) and like I said, I will definitely be using this over the school holidays, particularly with school camps. 

My daughter doesn't take public transport by herself yet but I could certainly see why this would be a really attractive option for parents in that situation. 

I loved the safety features and how easy the actual watch was to use - my daughter mastered it in minutes. 

Depending on your patience levels, you might find the games annoying or become concerned with how distracting they are, but they are fun and yes, do promote movement and creativity. 

So for now, I think we're going to roll on for the school holidays and make a judgment call before school starts next term. Certainly, we're all in for a fun time over the break, and I can't wait to hear what crazy voice note I get next. 

Originally published as 'I never thought I would give my daughter a smartwatch. Then I tried this one'