Smartwatches, GPS Trackers & ‘Dumb’ Devices: Better Alternatives To Giving Hong Kong Kids Mobile Phones

Are you struggling to keep track of your increasingly independent kids? Sometimes, we’d love to microchip them, but since that’s not an option, we’ve rounded up the best ways to stay connected to our children in Hong Kong, from mobile phones to smartwatches, GPS tags and more.

Being a parent often means we have to swallow our words (and believe us, they taste horrid!) Remember our pre-kid days when we turned up our noses at children with iPads at restaurants? We’ve all been guilty of that when trying to enjoy a meal! Or the time we vowed we’d never yell at our kids? Err… mea culpa again! And now we’re wondering whether to get our kids smartphones because everyone (or so they say) at school has one! If you wish to hold onto the reins a bit longer, we suggest you look at smartwatches, GPS trackers, bag tags and ‘dumb’ devices instead. All are available in Hong Kong and offer what cellphones do, just without unlimited access to the internet and social media.

Read More: How To Take Care Of The Screen Health And Social Media Usage Of Young Kids

Reasons To Give Your Kids A Mobile Phone

Hong Kong is a safe city and we are thankful for that. Thanks to the city’s amazing helpers, it’s rare to find unaccompanied children, even if both parents are at work. However, not every city is like Hong Kong and if there’s a chance of relocation or if kids are getting ready for boarding school or university, we have to teach them to be independent and travel alone.

A mobile phone in these situations is important. We can track our kids’ movements;  they can call us if they need help; and we can reach them if we are worried.

The other uses of a mobile phone are more for entertainment purposes: chatting with friends and family, searching online, scrolling social media, etc. Yet these are the very reasons we hesitate to give our kids access to mobile phones. If they are out of the house and our sight, or alone, we need them to be alert and not engrossed in the latest trending reel. Leisurely chats should be when they are comfortably settled, not on the move. While we don’t mean to pry into their conversations with friends, when they are tweens, we still need to monitor who they are spending time with, and who may have access to them. This is easier done at home, when conversations are on a laptop or desktop (may they never learn to clear their cache and browser history!), rather than on a mobile phone.

With the pros and cons in mind, are you in the pro-smartphone camp, or the anti group? We have suggestions for both!

Read More: Raising Resilient Hong Kong Kids By Teaching Them Happiness

If You Have Decided To, When’s The Right Age To Give Kids Mobile Phones?

There’s no hard and fast rule. The rule of thumb is when your child is ready for responsible use of a smartphone. For this, you should have conversations about:

• Cybersecurity: Kids need to understand that any device with the internet is open to hacking, phishing, online stalking, scams and more. They have to be careful about who they talk to and share information with.
• Money and expenses: The smaller and sleeker the mobile phone, the more expensive it will be and perhaps more prone to damage. In today’s throwaway culture, kids should learn to take responsibility for their phones. Besides this, they need to understand how easy it is to run up a large mobile bill. Decide who pays for this – does it come out of their pocket money or do you pay only the fixed rental and let them cover the rest?
• Family rules and values: Set these with your child and explain your reasons for them. Once set though, your child(ren) should know that they have to be followed, even if they don’t necessarily agree with them. It could be a general family rule like informing parents before going to anyone’s house, or greeting people and making eye contact when engaging with them. It could also be rules that directly impact a mobile phone user, such as limitations on screen time or playing video games. Family rules and values lay the foundation for your child’s behaviour in many social situations, which will be critical when they own mobile phones.
• Consequences of breaking the above rules: This is a must and will require follow-through. If the consequence of playing a video game is the phone being taken away for a week, take it away for exactly a week to show kids your word counts for something. I allowed my kids to use WhatsApp to call my parents and in-laws and found that they had been calling their friends. That privilege was taken away and it hasn’t been returned.

Most importantly, prior to giving your children a smartphone, model the behaviour you want to see. Don’t bring the phone to the dinner table; don’t text them all the time (yes, parents are often guilty of doing this!) and respect rules in public places which don’t allow mobile phone and calls (member clubs, theatres and schools, for example).

Sometimes it’s convenient to give a child a smartphone, because there might be an old mobile device at home. As always, establish rules and reinforce safe usage. One Sassy Mama allows her daughter WhatsApp, which is linked to her laptop allowing her to monitor every chat. The mutually respectful rule is that she will not comment or intervene unless it is dangerous and warrants a serious discussion.

Read More: How To Talk To And Treat Your Children With Respect

Not For Kids’ Mobile Phones? Smartwatches & GPS Trackers For Kids In Hong Kong

Many parents are more comfortable with safe alternatives to a mobile phone for tweens and teens. If your kids need to make calls and may not always have an adult around, look for the smartwatches with calling options. However, if you know that your kid is responsible enough to find a trustworthy adult to call you or has an accompanying helper, all you need is a device with GPS tracking.

Apple Watch for kids – Smartwatch managed by your iPhone

Unlike the Apple watches we own, this one doesn’t require the kids to have their own iPhone. It’s managed by ours! Which means we can set up times when notifications are turned off (during school hours), manage their call list and more. It comes with fun dials and straps and the kids will be thrilled to own an Apple smartwatch, just like their parents! Surprisingly, it’s not eye-wateringly expensive (when compared to the other smartwatch options in Hong Kong). This comes tried and tested by many of the Sassy Mamas in Hong Kong.

Apple Smartwatch for kids, from $2,399, www.apple.com/hk

imoo watch phones – Well-known smartwatches designed for kids

This is another one that we can personally vouch for. Meant for five to 12-year-olds, the imoo smartwatch is easy to manage by even the youngest users. You can make two-way video or voice calls, and parents can programme it so that that they receive messages when their child enters or leaves an area such as school or home. CSL is linked with this smartwatch company so you have a contract for the sim and pay for the watch in instalments.

imoo Z6 Smartwatch, from $1,999, available via CSL

imoo Little Genius Z9H Smartwatch, from $2,099 (mobile contract separate), available at Fortress

Other smartwatch options for kids in Hong Kong

There are a whole range of smartwatches for kids in Hong Kong, but there aren’t enough reviews to know whether they work as efficiently as they claim to! Past experience has shown us that the cheaper smartwatch variants often don’t last as long or have connectivity issues. Always try to do your own research and read all reviews carefully before buying a smartwatch. The good thing is that these watch variants are that they are all relatively affordable when compared the two smartwatches mentioned above.

• Skidy smartwatch for children – Affordable calling watch for kids. What we don’t like is the in-built Facebook and WhatsApp. Available at Yoho, HKTV Mall and Fortress from $539
• K26 4G Kids Smart Watch – This smartwatch is compatible with Android devices and promises a battery life of over 200 hours! Available on Light in the Box on sale currently from $353
• Xiaomi Kids Smartwatch – This is a Chinese-only smartwatch variant. Like the Skidy smartwatch, it has inbuilt social media that we are not too pleased about. Available on Citylink from $1,099

Read More: “I feel nagged 24/7 by Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube – it feels like it takes control of my brain.” – What’s Causing Our Teens Anxiety & Upsetting Their Mental Health

Apple AirTag – GPS Tracker for kids and their belongings

This is so useful even for us adults, especially if we can’t remember where we left the keys! Attach it to their backpack or belt loop and keep an eye on where the kids are at all times. All you will need to do is check on the Find My app to know where they are. This doesn’t work if you have a particularly scatter-brained child who may leave their bag at school!

Apple AirTag, from $239, www.apple.com/hk

Galaxy SmartTag2 – GPS Tracker compatible with Android devices

Similar to the AirTag, this can be used on Android devices. Use the Samsung Find app to know where your child is at all times. You can buy one tag or a pack of four.

Galaxy SmartTag2, from $238, www.samsung.com/hk

Mobile phones for kids – ‘Dumb’ devices without data

Another option is to give your child a ‘dumb’ device – nothing quite like the sturdy, good old Nokia phones. We often joke that the clunky devices of the past were almost like weapons themselves, but we love that it does the job or allowing us to speak to the kids — and nothing more. Sure, they might play a few harmless games like Snake and Colour Pop, but we’re not complaining.

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